PTSD

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Anonymous
Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
edited May 2018 in Mental Health: Because Cancer Doesn't Just Affect Your Breasts
PTSD
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  • Sally22
    Sally22 Member Posts: 16
    edited February 2018

    Greeting..... is there anyone out there that is like me dealing with bouts of PTSD. Just need to talk to others.

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  • Rrobin0200
    Rrobin0200 Member Posts: 433
    edited February 2018

    me. 💯. Some days are better than others. But, my word, the bad days can be really bad. I hate that we have to go through this. The constant fear is debilitating. I'm on meds and I talk to someone, but it doesn't always help. Thank god I have a great husband andother family and friends to walk me through it. But it's still so hard. And to think.. I used to be so carefree until this beast.

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  • mustlovepoodles
    mustlovepoodles Member Posts: 2,825
    edited February 2018

    I held it together through two lumpectomies, chemo, sepsis, and hair loss. But after my PBMX (due to PALB2 mutation), everythiing just went sideways. I had a LOT of complications with recovery that resulted in severe tissue necrosis/death which ultimately took 16 weeks to heal. I was completely mutilated. I fell into a deep funk, manifested by irritability, insomnia, and flat affect. My DH realized pretty quickly that something was wrong--he had suffered from PTSD after open heart surgery.

    My doctor recognized my PTSD within 5 min. She put me on a course of Lexapro. I began to feel better with 2 weeks and continued to take it for 6-7 months, until my symptoms were under control.

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  • Sweet_Pea
    Sweet_Pea Member Posts: 178
    edited May 2018

    Sally and others, I know what you're going through. Breast cáncer has seemed to trigger my PTSD from before, so that now I'm having a hard time with it after essentially going years without problems.

    I'm on meds and also talk to someone, but some days it doesn't feel like enough. I'm in a funk and need to get out of it somehow. I've also gained a ton of weight, which is coherent with my PTSD stuff: I seem to eat more to put a layer of protection on, so to speak. It drives me crazy and makes me feel bad about myself, like I'm failing.

    So I guess you could say that eating has been my biggest coping mechanism for dealing with PTSD, and it's been intense since the diagnosis about a year ago. What are other people's coping mechanisims? And healthy habits that seem to help?

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  • Meow13
    Meow13 Member Posts: 4,859
    edited May 2018

    I found the only relief I had through this was talking to friends that had been through it. I had to talk to get my mind calmed down almost everyday for weeks. Finally, once I was done with surgery and reconstruction I started to get back to normal. Scans and doctor appointments can send me back to the dark zone. I especially had an episode when an MRI showed a possible recurrence. All my breast cancer friends are still here doing well, it helps.

    I had a male friend at work who had a cancerous brain tumor they couldn't completely get out. We would talk about our fears. I didn't want to die but more importantly I didn't want to linger for months in a hospital in pain. My friend didn't last a whole year but he wasn't in too much pain in the end. I remember that was so important to him, like it is for me.

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