Hi from another Newbie

[junas]

gooday! i've just finished a round of chemo/radiation therapy treatment for anal cancer and now have to wait a couple of months to see just how effective that was! also had treatment last year for skin cancer on my leg, which is still healing very very slowly! i thought i'd be ok when finished this treatment, with life being put on hold while having to go in every day as well as carrying the chemo bottle around with me 24/7. but now it seems i've fallen into a bit of a hole and am having difficulty pulling myself up. isolation doesnt help and so here i am looking forward to making some likeminded connections.

[Gaylene_Mc]

Hi Junas, Sometimes it is really hard when treatment has finished to just get up and move on. It has taken over your life totally for a time and just because treatment is finished doesn't mean that mentally the whole experience is finished. Take it steady and If you can find one thing at a time to get back into it might just be the way to go. It can be something small that you used to do and enjoy pre cancer. If that seems to hard then try to find one positive thing out of each day and write it in a book. It can be as small as doing something you couldn't do yesterday like go to mail box or talk to a neighbor, doesn't matter what it is it really just means you start looking for the little positive thing to write down each day, and focus less on the negative, then start looking for two things. But the important thing to remember is you are NOT alone, many of us have the same issues when treatment finishes. . Hope this has helped just a little.

[junas]

thank you Gaylene. some good hints in there and am so pleased to hear that it is not just me who seems to have trouble functioning at this point! i think too what does make it a bit worse is that feeling of being absolutely alone in all this! so yes you have been helpful. thank you again.

[Tassie_Devil]

Hi Junas. You are not alone in how you are feeling!!. I found that when I was receiving treatment, somehow I was able to focus on something being "done" and took things in my stride. However, since treatment has finished I find myself battling with thinking positively and wondering when it will come back again. For me I have found talking about how I feel has helped - but of course I choose who to talk too - those that I think are not going to get emotionally upset by it. Being in contact with people on this website is really helpful. Maybe think about joining one of the group forums on this site?. I guess as well, what has helped is, as Gaylene said, doing things that I always used to do before I became ill. It gives me a sense of normality and a sense of control over what I choose to do with my precious life. I hope your journey gets easier for you.

[junas]

thanks for your support Tassie Devil! I have been taking the advice and trying to do something 'normal' each day now. very hard to think positively though when wont know for some time if the treatment has been effective. Hope you're doing well and thanks for responding.

[Tassie_Devil]

Hi again Junas, Sounds like you are making progress which is good. Waiting for an outcome is a bit like living on a knife edge but small steps at a time is the key. Once you get back into more of a normal routine things will begin to settle down and although you can't "forget" what is going on, some distraction from your current situation will give you some relief. Take care. Thinking of you.