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Fear of cancer to recur
Asked by PetraW on Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Fear of cancer to recur
On Thanksgiving it has been one year for me that I have learned of my breast cancer diagnosis. I have since had several surgeries, including a mastectomy of my right breast. Reconstruction was started during the same procedure and I am now done with my expander fills. The final surgery to replace the expander with a silicone implant will probably take place in February. Over the summer I went through chemo and am now on tamoxifen. After my last MRI in August I am now officially cancer free. I am relieved of course, but I cannot shake the fear of the cancer to come back. It is not like a panic fear, but it is looming in the back of my mind. I find myself wondering how much time I have left on this planet and how I will deal with it if the cancer recurs. It is an irrational fear and not based on facts. Will this get better and move into the background of my life the longer the time span of no cancer recurrence will be? I did very well in terms of my attitude over
5 Answers from the Community
GregP_WN
It is a normal thing to have the fear, or wonder, what if? But...I am a big believer in the power of positive thinking. You can either sit around and think yourself to death, be miserable and let the cancer win, or you can keep your mind on the happy things in life, keep your mind on what you want in life, or out of life, and be happy in knowing that you kicked cancer's A**. I am a three time cancer survivor, after the second time my oncologist told me that if it came back a third time it would be very difficult to control, well....after 3 years from the date of my last treatment for the 3rd time, I am still kicking and thinking positive.
It's hard to do, some people have stronger minds than others and can deal with it better, I'm not a Dr. but I know thinking positive will not, can not, hurt you, negative thinking can and will. Stay positive and look at the good things that you have, and that you are here to be one of us, the select group of over 11 million in the US that are a member of the club. CANCER SURVIVORS
Good luck to you, I wish you the best!!!
- 5 Like
about 9 years agomspinkladybug
I feel your pain I have my moments when I fear it returning BUT look at it this way we KNOW we have a monster in us so our dr keep an eye out for it so they can catch it as soon as it rears its ugly head. Think about all the people who DO NOT know they have a monster in them and whose dr are NOt looking for the monster........ I guess we r lucky ones.................
- 2 Like
about 9 years agosofarsogood
I know. If I could keep on chemo forever I think I would fell less fear.
- 0 Like
about 9 years agopugmom
Sometimes I feel like Joe Black is looking over my shoulder, and it is an agonizing thought. I try not to feed the fear, but recognize the reality that my cancer has a high risk of recurrence. I am trying to live life and realize that there are many people who live cancer free for years and years after their initial diagnosis.
- 0 Like
almost 9 years agoYdnar2xer
PetraW--This is an interesting question. At first, after recovering from dcis in 2003, I didn't take anything for granted--I tried to live each day to the fullest, to say what "needed saying" (in my mind) to others, tried to do something good each day. But as nine years passed, I eventually got complacent and everything seemed to go back to normal....until I was dx with idc (breast cancer AGAIN) a few weeks ago. Now I swear I am going to make the most of the time I have here on earth, even if it's just sharing a smile with someone at a public place, giving my kids or hubby an unexpected hug, telling that waitress or other service worker I appreciate what they are doing for me. I don't know what I will leave here whenever I do die--as we all will, eventually--but I don't want to live a life of regret and fear--I want to give it XXX while I still can! Go forward! Look forward! And who knows? You may still be giving them XXX 20 years from now! I hope so! I intend to!
- 0 Like
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