Hi, I feel really stupid posting this because when I think about it, it sounds stupid but I really would love to know if anyone else felt the way I'm doing at the moment.
Some of you might not be able to remember if you are into years of getting the first all clear but anyone who can remember I'd be grateful for any replies.
I am now almost 8 months post radiation treatment and 7 months on from being given the all clear (for now). On Christmas eve I started with a cold and today (December 26th) it's a really heavy head cold which under normal circumstances I wouldn't have thought twice about it, just got on and coped with it but I keep having these terrible thoughts and was just wondering is it just me or did/do others think this way. My question is when you got your first cold after being given the all clear did anyone think that the cold virus could set the cancer off again? Of course I have everything associated with a cold, sore throat, coughing, croaky voice, runny nose etc etc and it's really worring me and with it being christmas time I can't call anyone medical to ask advice.. sorry to have been a bother and for asking such a silly question

I never thought of the cold "setting off" the cancer again. (In fact I thought a high fever might help kill it off!)

I do note that colds do not feel the same as they used to. The symptoms are often different from left side to right, something that I attribute to the surgery and radiation. The feeling that a normal cold might be something more (like a return of "it") is a common reaction. After a while these thoughts fade. It is part of your New Life!

Take care.

Thanks for voicing this issue. It surprises me how quickly my imagination can run to the worst possible explanation for a cold or a sniffle or a croaky voice. Its not nearly as scary after two or three occurances, but it still rattles me a bit. I think it is a bit of 'post traumatic stress' that alerts us so strongly after cancer - vaguely like the soldier who startles at sharp noises long after s/he is home.

Live now, worry later. Tom

I think it is very normal to associate any illness with cancer recurrence. Every time I had a sore throat or cold especially during the time when the treatment was just over for a short while, I would wonder if cancer relapsed or not. What I did would be to get an ENT for a thorough check as soon as possible. Just worrying can't keep the mind in peace. In Hong Kong, medical service is always available even during holidays and I wouldn't want to wait.

Karen

Hey, uksweetheart, wish I were closer I would make you some homemade chicken soup and a hot toddy and that cold would go away! Hang in there. Amy

Welcome to survivorship. Anyone who has had a close call with infinity, with our real mortality, is forever affected by it. While it is true that to some extent this fear is subdued by time, I personally find that it never goes away. While I have personally chosen to stay involved with oral cancer, even those who I meet that have tried to put it far behind them, are never completely successful. Survivorship includes some degree of PTS, and even real fear. I am over 3 decades away from Vietnam and my experiences of war, yet it comes to my mind frequently. I am 6 years from cancer, and not a day goes by that it is not part of my thought process. While some of that is in helping others, I cannot help but see myself in those that are doing less well than I. I cannot have a toothache or a small simple sore in my mouth without a feeling in the pit of my stomach that is unmistakable to me. It is plain fear. The difference is now, a few years out from the experience, I am able to choke it down and reason my way through it. But that does not stop the feelings from coming to me. What you feel is not only normal, but most likely appropriate. While uncomfortable, fear is a rational response to what we have been through. The trick is to keep it under control and realistic.

Well said, Brian, and also true of much of what we experience in our lifetime.

I agreee with Tom. The first time sent me right off the edge. Plus with limited lymph function it made me really scared cause I swelled up a little in the neck.

My doctor said "just because you had cancer, doesnt mean you wont get a cold ever again" Good advice.

Anyway I have had 5 or 6 colds since the all clear and I dont think too much about it anymore. I still wonder when its not going to be just a cold, but hey, it will be like that forever I guess..........

Good things
-rh

I don't worry about colds as much as my wife does. As soon as I get the sniffles or a cough, she's worrying. Same with my parents. I hate to see them spend so much energy worrying about me, but if the shoe was on the other foot, I'd be the same way. In the end I guess I'm fortunate to have people who worry about me.

John