Sudden Anxiety About Dying - Normal??

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KARW41
KARW41 Member Posts: 98
edited June 2020 in Share Your Experiences Of Life After A Breast Cancer Diagnosis

I am hoping this is normal, but I started having dreams like I have "very little time left" and about dying. I don't know if it is some type of "premonition," or just a symptom of anxiety about surgery. I had a lumpectomy and am getting bilateral mastectomy by my own choice in 17 days, but I have started getting bad dreams and this anxiety about suddenly dying. My mother just died of pancreatic cancer, after having breast cancer three times before that, so I don't know if the anxiety is some type of predictive thing, like ESP, etc., or if this is just a normal thing for a person with high grade extensive DCIS whose mother just died (did not see her in the hospital due to the long distance and travel and the pandemic). I think it pertains to being worried about dying in surgery with the anesthesia. Just wondering if this is a common thing. It started after the lumpectomy and before my Mom died in April. Other than that, I'm trying to sell my condo, and started a new job in a city where I don't know anyone, at the same time as all of this, so wondering if it is a bit much and these dreams is how it is all coming out????

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  • trinigirl50
    trinigirl50 Member Posts: 343
    edited June 2020

    Sounds pretty normal. Fear or the unknown and the future based on your recent history. I very much doubt there is anything prophetic about your dreams other than the obvious: yes anyone who gets breast cancer can die of it, but this is not pre-ordained.

    Maybe ask for anti anxiety meds to help you cope through this particularly stressful time.


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  • KARW41
    KARW41 Member Posts: 98
    edited June 2020

    Thank you very much. It just helps to hear that it is probably within the realm of normal for dealing with this. I was starting to worry if it was somehow predictive of the future and not just anxiety.

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  • MountainMia
    MountainMia Member Posts: 1,307
    edited June 2020

    My sympathies on the death of your mom. Along with everything else, your life is very stressful, and I'm not surprised you're having life-and-death dreams. I agree with trinigirl that you might ask for some help, either medication or if there are other things like talk therapy, meditation training, or something else that can ease your mind and/or help you sleep more peacefully.

    Dreams are one of the ways we deal with stress. I was diagnosed last year at the end of February and started my treatment in April. Over the several months of treatment, I had a number of dreams in which I had to solve some sort of a puzzle or challenge and didn't know how. For instance, in one dream I was trying to complete a scavenger hunt when I didn't have the list of objects or know what the rules were! There were several variations.

    Good luck with your upcoming surgery and move. I wish you peace.


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  • KARW41
    KARW41 Member Posts: 98
    edited June 2020

    Thank you very much. I would probably talk it through with someone for help. Meditation is an idea that really appeals to me, since I've been trying to make time to do it for years now. It helps to know that other people have had unusual or different dreams too and maybe it is not predictive or something like that. I send peace karma back to you as well. It helps that you responded to share your experience.

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