Hello 😊

[Mel77]

Hi all,

I just wanted to introduce myself. I was diagnosed with a Grade 2 Glioma in 2015 at age 38 and just after I had my second child. I had an awake craniotomy to remove the tumour (yes! awake! 😳) and all MRIs since have shown no recurrance of tumour. While it is great that the tumour was removed, I'm still quite shaken by the whole experience, the possibility of recurrance to Grade 3 or 4 and the fear of dying younger than I'd expected. I try to live in the present moment but still get frightened of what may lie ahead. Occasionally, the reality of what I've been through hits me and it feels a bit like grief. I thought it would be good to reach out to others who know what living with cancer, and fear of its recurrence is like.

cheers,

Melissa

[Katekat]

Hello @Mel77 and welcome to our Online Community 

What an experience you have had! This is a great place to be reaching out to others who have been through a similar journey to your own or are having the same thoughts and fears. Take a look around and please don't be afraid jump on in on conversations, this is a friendly environment.

Don't hesitate to shout out to myself or any of the team if you need any assistance.

Kind Regards,

Kate

Online Community Manager

[CaptainAustrali]

Hey Melissa

I think you hit the nail on the head, in describing the kind of generalised anxiety that (I assume) everyone who's gone through cancer must suffer.

I myself have just gone through treatment, and I don't know if the treatment's been successful and won't find out until 21 March.

If it wasn't successful, I actually may be running short on options.

If it WAS successful, I still have to approach life with a new type of weather in my barometer, the cloudy old "Cancer recurrence worry"

It is like grief, I think .. especially if you have young children.  I honestly am not distressed so much about end of life myself, but the idea that my three young children (one of whom is autistic and really needs me) would be subjected to the grief of losing their father so young (ages 4-7)

Fingers crossed my cancer is defeated, but you have to approach it as a battle won, not the war, that's my opinion.

I think the only option is to work on your body's immune response, and living a maximally healthy life, and filling it with as much love, joy and happiness for yourself and the people you care about as you possibly can.

How do we defy cancer ?  We love, love is the opposite of cancer.