Stress and tension
Comments
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Anyone else experiencing neck/shoulder/back/chest tension from all the stress surrounding the diagnosis? I started to get scared it was related to my BC (just diagnosed IDC) but now I'm thinking it's stress. Got a massage day after diagnosis and for that evening my upper body actually felt normal. Woke up- tight as heck again. What kind of physical self care do you all do during this incredibly stressful time? I have many tests to still wait for and have clinical anxiety in top of it
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Sorry about your DX. Absolutely stress can cause that pain. It’s normal too to associate the pain to your BC spreading. A lot of us who are further along than you and some multiple years after treatment still do. It’s being branded with the C word. It never goes away.
Massages are great, exercise and meds for additional stress all helpful.
You can do this. It’s a long process but it does get better.
Diane
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Dovely - sorry you had to join this club. It most definitely causes stress. For me working out has always been my go to stress reliver. In fact at my surgery the first question I asked was how soon could I get back to the gym. It keeps me sane. Every day I'd think I don't want to go to the gym, it's too hot/cold, but I'd go and feel great when its over.
Do whatever makes you feel good. And best wishes to you!
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Hi honey, The Stress is horrible. We all went thru it. Well, for me, I was prescribed Anti-Anxiety Medication for my Anxiety/Stress. Other than taking Medication, many women do Meditation. Meditation can be difficult for some, but, others have good experiences with it. Try researching online some Techniques for an easy Meditation. And, of course, doing some lite exercise, like Swimming, or, even walking is good for the Stress. There may be some Meditation Techniques and Exercise info right here on this website. Get Rest! Blessings!
Kaloni
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I am so glad I found this topic. I feel the weight of the world tonight. I know why it is so strong tonight. I go see my parents in law tomorrow to tell them about my diagnosis.
It is going to add to the stress my mother in law feels as my father in law is not doing good. Part of me thinks that I shouldn't tell them. Their daughter knoe
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Dyannah, in your situation, I wouldn't tell my in-laws for a while yet.
I quit smoking five years ago, switched to vaping. Weaned myself down to no nicotine about six months ago (had a high blood-pressure crisis). Continued with vaping just for the flavor and something to do with my hands. When hemp-derived CBD became legal and available, I started to vape that for exercise-induced pain (I don't worry what causes it, I have plenty of other pain-producing problems). Then, with the diagnosis, I started using it for anxiety. It wears off fairly quickly, but I don't mind irregular sleeping hours. At the breast clinic, they are impressed at how calm I am, but with increasing anxiety I will be vaping on the way. My driver won't mind, he smokes.
If you are religious, your community can offer support and prayer, especially healing ceremonies. Like the others said, meditation helps. And faith in itself is worth all the gold on earth.
I have been playing u-tube albums. Gregorian chant, harp and harp-guitar, Celtic music, classical music, whatever calms me. Some of those albums have three hours of uninterrupted music. As you make your choices, the offered selections are better tuned to what you like.
Doing research on BC, finding out all you can, reduces the anxiety. I have even been delving into some scholarly articles. The more information I can find, the less anxiety I have about making the right decisions. Thank God for the internet. God knows all, but Google approaches it.
Exercise also does wonders, and I think it is about time to start using the free gym membership that my insurance offers. Yesterday I escaped into reading, in between episodes of researching. It was nasty outside. I just discovered that I have $30 more available every month, so using a taxi will be an option.
ETA: I just got back from the vape store with another bottle of CBD. Told the owner about my nasty surprise, and he gave me a discount.
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Oh, yes, stress can can so much muscle pain and tightness. I remember one particularly bad year I couldn't turn my head to the side when I was lying down prone in my yoga classes. I had to rest on my chin. It cleared up when my stress cleared up.
RE: sharing news--remember, it should only be on a need-to-know basis. I realized quickly that telling everyone meant everyone would potentially be asking me to give them updates all the time. Talking about c when I wasn't in the mood or felt particularly strong actually stressed me out a lot, so I kept my sharing to a minimum until I felt more positive about my treatment plan and how everything was going.
If not telling them will hurt them a lot, then you'll have to decide about that. Otherwise, you can always wait till you have your tx plan in place, have all the information about your dx like grade, status, nodes, type, test results, etc.
Hugs,
Claire in AZ
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