hello

[sallzach]

hi i'm Sally 36 diagnosed with ovarian cancer in Oct 09 just 5 weeks after my Dad passed away.So you could say 2009 was a really crap year for me and my family. I've just finished my 6 cycles of chemo {levels are all good} and started back at work. Things are starting to look up so i'm wondering why i'm feeling a bit down. Is this "normal"? Has anyone else felt like this?

[#2]

Hi there Sally, Well i don't think after what you & all of us have been through that anything will be quite "normal" again. It's more like a "new" normal, at least for me it is, these days. You have been through an awful lot in one year with your dad passing away then 5mths later you're diagnosed.............you would've still been grieving & then "bang" your treatment begins & your focus has to be on you & getting through it all & somehow coping emotionally as well as physically. It's a huge process & also added in is fear of the unknown. Now it's like ...everything has stopped & slowed down & you're trying to get your life back to "normal" with going back to work etc, but it just doesn't feel the same anymore hey? Not to mention quite often other people don't understand your feelings. Hard to explain but feeling down is very common Sally ( i did & still do at times & i'm over 7mths out of treatment) & you will find plenty of people on this site who have a lot more experience than i do on the subject, so feel free to express your emotions anytime you like. Cyber hugs Mez 🙂

[Sailor]

G'day Sally Perfectly normal. The reality is that the majority of cancer patients feel depressed at some stage and a fair number of them do need treatment for it. Other strange things can happen, like exisiting phobias that we live with get exagerated. I have always turned a bit green with heights and never liked being in enclosed dark places - now I cannot cope with heights and really panic in enclosed dark places. Some people get the classic symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder - if you think about it is it any wonder after what some of us have ben through? So it is perfectly normal. What to do about it. Well blogging here is a good start. Talkiong to other people is also good. If you feel it warrants it, talk to your GP about it - there is no shame in having a course of anti-depressants. You may even find it helpful to see a counsellor and your GP can help there as there is a scheme whereby you cna see a psychologoist and medicare will contribute. Also rememebr the cancer helpline 13 11 20 - it has been the lifeline for many of us. Mez is right when she says there is a new normal to be found - we cannot go back to where we were before all of this and being in that transition to finding a new normal can be pretty uncomfortable, particualrly as all those around us expect us to pick up where we left off before all this started. So take care and keep on bloging here. Cheers Sailor