Delayed emotional reaction?

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rwiley4529
rwiley4529 Member Posts: 62
edited April 2015 in Stage III Breast Cancer

I'm almost a year out from diagnosis and surgery, 4 months out from chemo, 2 months out from radiation. Still have almost 5 years to go on the arimidex.

During the early days post-diagnosis, I had some times of fear and depression, but I was so focused on the speeding train that is treatment that I didn't really think too much about it.

This weekend a friend gave me a couple of breast cancer related gifts (very thoughtful, no offense taken), and it caused me to start doing some thinking about this whole path, and now I'm starting to think I've skipped some whole emotional stages of dealing with this crap called breast cancer.

Has anyone else had this experience?

(Edited to say that I put all my info into my profile and marked it public, but I don't know why it isn't showing up here?)

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  • SpunkyGirl
    SpunkyGirl Member Posts: 1,568
    edited April 2015

    I absolutely can identify with you! It's because you don't have time to think for a long time. Now that the bulk of the treatment is behind you, you are just getting the time to process everything. And your journey is still a unique one. Take it how it feels right to you, and apologize to no one. I've found myself feeling like I have to explain to well-meaning people why I do not attend survivor events. Then I realized it was a personal thing that I had no need to to explain. I do reach out to others privately to offer my support, and that's what works form me

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  • april485
    april485 Member Posts: 3,257
    edited April 2015

    rwriley, it is very very normal to feel the true magnitude of everything after you complete active treatment. There is no time to do this when you are dealing with everything and then you are cut loose so to speak and it hits like a sledge hammer for some people.

    As to why your signature is blank, it always is in an initial post for some reason. If you respond to me or spunkygirl, it will show up.

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  • rwiley4529
    rwiley4529 Member Posts: 62
    edited April 2015

    Thanks ladies for the encouragement!

    I've been talking with a fellow breast cancer patient at work this morning, and she also mentioned that some of the emotional stuff I'm feeling right now could also be related to the arimidex. I contacted the employee assistance program, and I've contacted a therapist to help me deal with this. When I mentioned this stuff to my husband, he said it sounded very similar to PTSD to him. I never thought of it that way.

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  • JustJean
    JustJean Member Posts: 327
    edited April 2015

    I take Arimidex. One of the side effects can be depression. My MO put me on a low dose of Effexor and I no longer have those "weepy for no apparent reason " episodes.

    JJ

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  • sbelizabeth
    sbelizabeth Member Posts: 2,889
    edited April 2015

    I'm listening to the audiobook of "Emperor of all Maladies." It's a very well-written book, full of good information...and I found myself crying my eyes out. Partly from anger at the disease, partly from the knowledge of the brutal road our sisters were forced to take to get us to this place of relatively well-researched treatment, in an environment of patient participation.

    The Halsted mastectomy. Why not just cut the woman in half?

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