StayingPositive
10-11-2011, 10:28 AM
So glad to have found this site. Just a quick intro - I'm an early-40's husband and father of three great kids. Life was treating me wonderfully until March of this year when I was hit with a shocking diagnosis of cancer. It was such a surprise and a blow to me and our family ... I was incredibly healthy, great diet, avid runner, etc etc. - but as they say, cancer makes no exceptions for anyone!
The positive is that it's a very treatable form of cancer that requires oral "targeted" therapy rather than chemotherapy [so it's not toxic, you don't lose your hair or get sick, etc.], so as long as I respond to the treatment, then I can literally live my life without any interruptions or concessions. Within 3 months of starting treatment, my fitness level went to a really high level, and I've been able to maintain it successfully throughout. I have been able to continue to work fulltime without any problems, travel, etc. I am so very thankful for this miracle form of treatment!
There are so many things to be positive about, but sadly, the diagnosis and the "blow" to my otherwise charmed life at a relatively young age surfaced some real anxiety challenges for me. I fought through the initial bout of anxiety successfully (with some assistance) over the first 3 months, but not without a cost - I was already a thin guy at diagnosis (being a big runner and all), but I lost 20 pounds right out of the gate from the anxiety issues and have not put it back on yet.
I went a few months with no issues whatsoever, and my weight leveled off, but now that I'm approaching my next treatment milestone, the anxiety issues have returned ... so very frustrating, because I consider myself to be a smart, confident, and (otherwise) healthy individual who just happens to be in the process of managing a chronic condition. However, I have now started to lose even more weight because of the anxiety, and I have reason to believe that it's causing some annoying health issues (e.g., swollen lymph nodes and a painful bout of prostatitis).
I have had to acknowledge that it's a real problem and I cannot seem to work through it mentally without some real assistance ... and I've found that to be very disappointing and frustrating. After some additional weight loss, I've conceded and started to calm myself down using some anti-anxiety medication ... boy it definitely appears to help, but I am pretty down that I need it. Bummer. It's a vicious cycle.
Anyway, I am so appreciative to find this support forum and look forward to the opportunity to get to know some of you all and collaborate on ways on battling and managing anxiety issues in our lives.
The positive is that it's a very treatable form of cancer that requires oral "targeted" therapy rather than chemotherapy [so it's not toxic, you don't lose your hair or get sick, etc.], so as long as I respond to the treatment, then I can literally live my life without any interruptions or concessions. Within 3 months of starting treatment, my fitness level went to a really high level, and I've been able to maintain it successfully throughout. I have been able to continue to work fulltime without any problems, travel, etc. I am so very thankful for this miracle form of treatment!
There are so many things to be positive about, but sadly, the diagnosis and the "blow" to my otherwise charmed life at a relatively young age surfaced some real anxiety challenges for me. I fought through the initial bout of anxiety successfully (with some assistance) over the first 3 months, but not without a cost - I was already a thin guy at diagnosis (being a big runner and all), but I lost 20 pounds right out of the gate from the anxiety issues and have not put it back on yet.
I went a few months with no issues whatsoever, and my weight leveled off, but now that I'm approaching my next treatment milestone, the anxiety issues have returned ... so very frustrating, because I consider myself to be a smart, confident, and (otherwise) healthy individual who just happens to be in the process of managing a chronic condition. However, I have now started to lose even more weight because of the anxiety, and I have reason to believe that it's causing some annoying health issues (e.g., swollen lymph nodes and a painful bout of prostatitis).
I have had to acknowledge that it's a real problem and I cannot seem to work through it mentally without some real assistance ... and I've found that to be very disappointing and frustrating. After some additional weight loss, I've conceded and started to calm myself down using some anti-anxiety medication ... boy it definitely appears to help, but I am pretty down that I need it. Bummer. It's a vicious cycle.
Anyway, I am so appreciative to find this support forum and look forward to the opportunity to get to know some of you all and collaborate on ways on battling and managing anxiety issues in our lives.