| | Joined: May 2010 Posts: 48 Contributing Member (25+ posts) | OP  Contributing Member (25+ posts)
Joined: May 2010 Posts: 48 | Hey was wondering if people think that stress contributed to there cancer. As some of you may know by know my fiance called off our wedding about a year before my diagnosis. Needless to say I took it pretty hard. I pretty much had a nervous break down; was major depressed and binged drinked on the weekends trying to get over her. I'm wondering if all that stress whore down my immune system and caused the HPV to develop the cancer? Did anyone else have similar stress in there lives before diagnosis??? Just curious?
Charles
HPV +16 Right Tonsil SCC with 1 Right lymph node. Tonsillectomy and neck resection.
Got 33 radiation doses via tomo machine (58 gry to back of throat, 65 gry to right neck, and 56 gry to left neck) with 2 cisplatin and one carboplatin due to possible hearing loss.
| | | | | Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 8,311 Senior Patient Advocate Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Senior Patient Advocate Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Sep 2006 Posts: 8,311 | They suspect stress and our immune systems play a role in HPV+ SCC but no studies have proven such a link yet.
David
Age 58 at Dx, HPV16+ SCC, Stage IV BOT+2 nodes, non smoker, casual drinker, exercise nut, Cisplatin x 3 & concurrent IMRT x 35,(70 Gy), no surgery, no Peg, Tx at Moffitt over Aug 06. Jun 07, back to riding my bike 100 miles a wk. Now doing 12 Spin classes and 60 outdoor miles per wk. Nov 13 completed Hilly Century ride for Cancer, 104 miles, 1st Place in my age group. Apr 2014 & 15, Spun for 9 straight hrs to raise $$ for YMCA's Livestrong Program. Certified Spin Instructor Jun 2014.
| | | | | Joined: Nov 2006 Posts: 2,671 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts) | | Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Nov 2006 Posts: 2,671 | Charles - my son had some major stress brought on by a divorce before he developed his cancer. He had also been hospitalized before his divorce for depression brought on by some clergy abuse he suffered as a child. Right now he is in a much better place with a really great girlfriend and wonderful friends. Just the suspicion that stress could be a factor behooves us to "nip it in the bud" before it takes control of us. When I was experiencing stress and worrying over my son, I found that when things got too bad, I would try to allow myself only 5 minutes for giving myself some compassion and then when the five minutes were up, I would try do something physical like exercising even if it was just bending over to touch my toes. Keeping busy helps.
Anne-Marie
CG to son, Paul (age 33, non-smoker) SCC Stage 2, Surgery 9/21/06, 1/6 tongue Rt.side removed, +48 lymph nodes neck. IMRTx28 completed 12/19/06. CT scan 7/8/10 Cancer-free! ("spot" on lung from scar tissue related to Pneumonia.)
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