Senior Member (100+ posts) Joined: May 2013 Posts: 134 | Very close to 100% of the things I worried about never happened. I worried about freaking out in the mask. Never did. I worried about not finishing treatment. I finished. I worried about treatment not working. I'm clean 3 years. Now I want all that time I wasted worrying back.
I learned about midway through that the more time I thought and worried about myself the worse I got. The more I tried to help others the better I got. One day (and it was not a good day) I pasted a fake smile on my face and went to treatment. Someone told me I looked like I had gained a pound or two. Everyone starts asking what I did to get so much energy. It was a FAKE smile! I realized none of the patients were smiling. I certainly understand why but the impact it had was incredible. I started smiling every time I went in. Most times they were fake but every now and then it was real and sometimes I laughed. Worry is absolutely normal but I had to find something to chase it away or it might consume me. I pray you find something to chase it with too.
Dx March 2011 via FNA (49 yrs old) SCC BoT HPV+ exact strain unknown Stage IVa T3N2cM0 Cisplatin x 3, IMRT x 40 (7267 cGy) One node removed post-treatment (rad dmg) Clean PET 10/28/11 Swallow therapy |