Hi, I have been having anxieties for about 2 years now. Last year, it was terrible. Although this year is a better year, it is still not going away. It effects me and I feel when the anxieties arrive, it’s difficult to have quality in my days. I think I have come to a point where I have tried my best to handle the anxieties wihtout having help. And I thought there is nothing to be shy about getting help.
I have signed up for talking therapy and will be contacted in 28 days for my appointment. I will be seeing my gp on Christmas eve to discuss medications.
I had HER2+, ER+ and PR+ breast cancer over 5 years ago, and am currently taking Letrezole, Losartan (for highblood pressure) and Calcium + Vitamin D medications.
Anyone are able to share their experiences on this regard ? Any sharing / infos / etc will be utmostly appreciated.
Thank you.
Hi - I’ve had terrible anxiety too -it’s horrible I know - really spoils your life .I found CBT therapy really helped me ,also acupuncture and magnesium oil helped too .I also found that keeping cool helped when anxiety was really bad - heat seemed to make things worse . Hormones /lack of them can have a significant effect on your mood .Hope you feel better soon.
I think there are some anti- depresssants you shouldn’t take with Tamoxifen but I think Letrozole is ok - you could check this in the Ask the Nurses section ?
Hi. It may be slightly off topic but I suffer with SAD (seasonal affective disorder). The severity of it varies year to year but for some reason I am really suffering badly this winter. I just can’t shake off the pessimistic low mood. In the past when I had a bad spell I used to try focussing on the future, but now I am a BC survivor I feel this is futile and there is nothing to look forward to. I feel as if death is the only thing round the corner, like a ship in the mist on the horizon coming closer into focus. Things are getting real bad and I dread the challenge ahead with the long dark days of January and Blue Monday. In the past before BC I went to my GP and occupational health at work and was prescribed antidepressants or St John’s wort but this is no longer possible being on Tamoxifen as they can compromise it’s effectiveness. I have heard light boxes can help but they are very expensive and buying one would take a sizeable chunk of my modest disposable income. There are cheaper ones on Amazon but for ethical reasons I don’t shop on there.It is frustrating and I feel as though I have exhausted all options!
Oldspice sorry to hear you are suffering -it is frustrating to find out that a lot of things that would possibly help with anxiety/ depression are not ok after hormone positive breast cancer/ with hormone meds .There are some anti - depressants that are compatible with Tamoxifen so may be worth discussing with your GP .
Thanks for your comments. In answer to your question Cecilia-Rose I am 4 and a half years out from diagnosis (v low grade stage 1 idc). I still had quite invasive treatment: WLE and rads x 15. I was told prognosis was good but I still see stories from ladies who had exact same as me when it has come back and sometimes worse than first time. As I have Aspergers syndrome I am naturally anxious but things don’t seem to be getting any better over time and in fact I see every obstacle or problem in life as a threat to my health. The talking therapy sounds interesting but I don’t know if it is offered in my NHS region (South Wales). Maybe I should make an appointment with my GP about this. I have had counseling (CBT) but it did not help much. Sending hugs to you and Jill xxx
Hi Cecilia-Rose. I looked on the link you provided but unfortunately this is only for NHS England and I live in Wales. I searched the NHS Wales site but sadly they do not offer this therapy in my health board area. The CBT I received was in 2011 I had to wait over a year for this from referral and had 4 sessions with this very Bohemian counsellor who I found a bit judgemental TBH. However the one good thing which came out of it was that I was referred for my Aspergers assessment and I was formally diagnosed in 2013. After my BC diagnosis and treatment I received several CBT sessions with a psychotherapist at Velindre Cancer centre in Cardiff. These were supposed to be specific to people with Aspergers but again I didn’t find them all that helpful and I ended up using my own coping mechanisms to get back into work life and come to terms with my situation. It has been a struggle and some days are better than others. This Winter has been harder than before for some reason. I was really in a bad place just before Christmas but I have since had chance to step back and take stock of things by writing down what really affects me and ways of hopefully improving my life. One of these surprisingly has been to try and stop fearing the consequence of having a few drinks on the weekend or eating the wrong food sometimes even after ER+ BC. I think that forsaking all what I used to enjoy before BC pooped on my party would only make me very miserable indeed. So by rejecting the concept of cancer ruling my life makes me feel a lot better as the pressure to do everything right is off and I no longer feel as if I am ‘failing’ to be a model cancer survivor
Hi again Cecilia Rose. I wish you a Happy New year for 2019 too ?
I will find out more about what is on offer regards counselling and if there is anything I feel would be beneficial I will seek advice from GP. In meantime I am happy to settle for a relaxing detox massage on 11th Jan ?. I do think we are under pressure to do everything to ‘stay alive’ and it becomes an obsession. I used to have the same mindset about wanting to look younger when I was in my 30s/40s in order to wear fashionable clothes and attract a man but it was soooo stressful! I now have a much more laid back outlook on this and I guess I should feel the same about my health too. I can only do what is realistic for my income and fits in with my routine and should be happy with that, not fret that I can’t do something out of my reach. Sending hugs xxx
Hi, i to have had anxiety since finishing treatment in March 2018, i had a lumpectomy then cancer found in 2 out of 3 lymph nodes taken so had them all removed followed by chemo and radiotherapy. My mum died 4 yrs ago from secondary breast cancer. As 2018 has gone on I have become full of anxiety, worry at every pain i have, cannot sleep as i spend most of the night going through scenarios of what if’s. I felt i was making myself mentally ill. In the middle of December a lady from the support group i attend said why didn’t i contact Macmillan and have some counselling. Today i went for an assessment and I just talked and talked about myself and the way mum died (was not happy with hospital and care/treatment) She said something interesting she said i was a planner and i had to agree if we go away sightseeing every day is planned, tours booked, daily itinerary compiled etc etc. I am known as the itinerary lady amongst friends and family and quite often my itineraries are borrowed, it has become a real joke. Also in life general i am always thinking ahead whether at work or in my personal life. If you look at my phone calendar you would think i never had a minute to spare to get anxious. She said the cancer came and was out of my control and no planning could predict it and now i have got myself in a state where i cannot predict my future but am predicting my demise even tho there is no way i can do that. Mum had 10 years between primary and secondary so i now think i have the same time left, again how do i know!!!
I have only had one session but 2 things she suggested until we meet again
1 - My mums death traumatised me she said go and get loads of photos with mum in when we had happy times and concentrate on them rather than her death and talk about those times
2 - Set aside a time during the day when i write down any thoughts and worries i have had that day when i had thoughts of cancer or it returning. When you go to bed if a thought comes in my mind i say “Thank you for that thought, tomorrow i will write it down”
It may or may not help but its a start, i am hoping for more coping strategies. I have to say i felt so much better talking to her today.I hope this helps