Sighing all the time? Am I crazy??
Hello all.....well, I cant seem to stop sighing. I know it sounds so weird! Just had my exchange surgery a week ago and I thought maybe that had something to do with it, but yetvit continues! I had a checkup with my oncologist just last week and she says all if my bloodwork looks fine....tumor markers fine, lungs sound clear. Now I didn't say amything about this sighing issue because I didn't think much of it at the time. Now all I do is think about it but I'm so anxious about it now that I'm afraid to go to the doctor because. of course I'm terrified it could be a sign of lung mets. Just so you all know, I do have chronic anxiety and I always have. I feel mostly fine at work and can also still exercise. So sorry to ramble.....any thoughts? I just feel really scared.
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Re: Sighing all the time? Am I crazy??
It's hard to carry all the worry and fear. When I have a lot on my mind, and it is heavy, I sigh quite a bit. Probably the body's way of releasing. Try some slow deep calming breathing. And try to learn other ways to "contain" your stress instead of keeping it in your body. Writing, art, dancing, cooking, gardening etc. Hope you get help with the cancer aftermath. It is a process to learn to live life fully after your diagnosis, to learn how to cope with fear, especially if you have anxiety to begin with. Ask your oncologist for advice - they are supposed to treat the whole person, not just the cancer parts :-)
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Re: Sighing all the time? Am I crazy??
Ido take deep breathes just to calm myself inside. I think when diagnosed we grasp at everything we can to get through it and a few deep breathes through your nose and out of your mouth is calming. :) hang in there!
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Re: Sighing all the time? Am I crazy??
There're some scientific experiment being done on sighing ... (No, you're not crazy! :)
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/...r-just-a-sigh/ |
Re: Sighing all the time? Am I crazy??
That was interesting, Jackie, thanks.
GQMom, sighing is not a sign of lung mets. In the years I've been involved with metsters, I've never once heard anybody complain about sighing as a symptom. You admit to having anxiety and I am guessing your sighing is part of an anxiety syndrome. It's shameful how nobody teaches people to get well after a traumatic experience like cancer. They amputate a body part or two, they put us through a poisoning system, they tell us that it could come back any time and we aren't safe for years, if ever, and then say "good-bye." So, we are left with these new bodies, and every ache and pain or odd thing we imagine is cancer returning. They really need to teach us how likely cancer is to return (not very) and what to look for and how to relax and not think every ache and pain is cancer. And, that it takes a long time to get used to or heal our bodies, and stuff like pain in the hips and lower back is normal after chemo. Sighing could be a sign of low red counts still, or it could be anxiety. And, the more you pay attention to these aches and pains, the more real they become and the more they bother and hurt. I think most cancer survivors need a little PTSD therapy as I think most suffer from it. And, who wouldn't? You go through the wringer and then are left alone. Your symptom is not a symptom of mets. The truth is, a lot of us don't have symptoms when we are diagnosed. It's found incidentially (as mine was). I have symptoms now but that is two years of a tumor growing in my liver to feel it. Common symptoms would be extra fatigue or weight loss. Cancer has to take up a lot of your lungs to cause coughs and shortness of breath so it is usually not going to have the kind of symptom you describe. However, if it is coming back, it will make itself known. My liver mets were found, even though I had zero symptoms, no tumor markers or anything. Most people have the same experience. And, remember, finding mets is not like finding early stage cancer. The quicker you find it, does not mean you will live longer. At that point, it responds to tx or not. Please try to enjoy this time you have. Please tell yourself every day that you are a Survivor, that you made it, that you will live a long life. Tell yourself that every morning and tell yourself that every night and tell yourself that with each sigh. Enjoy these beautiful days you have. Don't let fear imprison you. If you find that it is, get some help - there is no shame in that. The reality is cancer can come back - the reality is also that the odds are in your favor that it won't. So try to mentally put yourself there. Even if it did come back, you would never regret doing that. *hugs* |
Re: Sighing all the time? Am I crazy??
Ahhhhh......cancer and anxiety. They go hand in hand and as one of my favorite cancer nurses said to me...."Mary Jo, this is your new normal." I wanted to scream...."but I don't want a new normal........" LOL!
I am at 7 years out now and the anxiety is gone. I remember getting to about year 3 and most days thought I had one form of a recurrence or another. One day I just got sick and tired of living this way. Being a woman of faith......I said to myself.....'ENOUGH." "Today you don't have cancer. You are alive and healthy today. Enjoy today and leave tomorrow for tomorrow." From that day on, I lived worry free of cancer recurrence. Just sharing what worked for me. Mary Jo |
Re: Sighing all the time? Am I crazy??
Mary Jo, that is a good way of doing it. We have to change our mental "talk" to ourselves. It's natural to be scared but it is not a good way to live life. So, telling yourself you are healthy, you will be okay......today you are fine...that's a good way of living I think.
Even as a metster I do that. Today, my pain is minimal. Today, I am out of bed, with my family, enjoying the things I do. Today, I am managing. I don't worry about tomorrow. |
Re: Sighing all the time? Am I crazy??
Hi everyone,
Thank you all for...well, just being there. I feel really alone sometimes and I know I don't post a lot, but I know I can come here when I'm lonely. Thanks again. |
Re: Sighing all the time? Am I crazy??
Perhaps it is time for a visit to your acupuncturist? Frequent sighing could be a liver disharmony. I received regular acupuncture during treatment and it was wonderful.
Liver Patterns Etiology EmotionsLiver Qi Stagnation Signs:
This is an extremely common pattern. Wide range of symptoms, which typically fluctuate considerably in proportion to the amount of stress the person feels. the patient will have periods of depression with worsening of physical symptoms, and times when symptoms improve. Women during the premenstrual time are naturally more prone to stagnation-related problems, since at this time Blood is collecting in the uterus and Qi levels are diminishing. Stagnation of Liver Qi over a long time induces stasis of Liver Blood Etiology/Pathology Emotional disharmony, especially repressed anger, resentment, frustration, over a long time, which impairs the circulation of Liver Qi. Treatment Principle Disperse the Liver and regulate Qi Points
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Re: Sighing all the time? Am I crazy??
Traditional Chinese medicine explains acupuncture as a technique for balancing the flow of energy or life force. But I am not sure that can help me in my case. I got serious problems after operation and now my friend suggests me to use acupuncture https://biopulse.org/. Have you ever use this treatment technique? Does it work?
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