HER2 Support Group Forums - View Single Post - Perspective—Psychotherapy and the Cancer Patient (by a psychiatrist cancer patient)

DianneS · 09-30-2009, 08:29 PM

The first onc I saw, a week after my cancer dx, said this to me, before he even said hello -

"I can't guarantee you a normal life span".

Well, that just put me into a major tailspin from which I'm still trying to recover. Oncs don't realize the power of words. Needless to say I fired him but his words still haunt me. I want a normal life span! Who is he to say I won't have one?

Thank you Hopeful, for posting this. It just takes someone walking in these shoes to understand. I mean really understand. No one else gets the anxiety, anger, fear, mental exhaustion, sadness, that we have to deal with daily. It is quite wearing. I am not the same person I was before this diagnosis. Joy and true happiness are very very rare these days. I feel like I have an elephant sitting on my head. I hope some day soon part of the 'team' will be a psychiatrist or psychologist. That would be the humane thing to do.

Dianne

09-30-2009, 08:29 PM	#5
DianneS Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 327	Re: Perspective—Psychotherapy and the Cancer Patient (by a psychiatrist cancer patien The first onc I saw, a week after my cancer dx, said this to me, before he even said hello - "I can't guarantee you a normal life span". Well, that just put me into a major tailspin from which I'm still trying to recover. Oncs don't realize the power of words. Needless to say I fired him but his words still haunt me. I want a normal life span! Who is he to say I won't have one? Thank you Hopeful, for posting this. It just takes someone walking in these shoes to understand. I mean really understand. No one else gets the anxiety, anger, fear, mental exhaustion, sadness, that we have to deal with daily. It is quite wearing. I am not the same person I was before this diagnosis. Joy and true happiness are very very rare these days. I feel like I have an elephant sitting on my head. I hope some day soon part of the 'team' will be a psychiatrist or psychologist. That would be the humane thing to do. Dianne __________________ Three years and 5 months NED Dx: Aug 2008 right breast IDC with 50% of tumor DCIS, Stage II or IIA, tumor size: 2.1 cm Grade 3 8/9 Richardson/Bloom test ER+ weakly positive Alred Score: 4 (suggesting I would strongly benefit from hormone therapy) PR-, HER2 positive +++ No vascular invasion No lymph nodes involved Surgery: Sept. 9, 2008 -Modified radical mastectomy, right breast. I chose to have a simple mastectomy on the left. Began Taxotere/Carboplatin/Herceptin November, 2008. Finished T/C March 2009. Finished #16 Herceptin Sept. 09. AI's and Tamoxifen made me sick. Began natural Tamoxifen which is Quercetin, I3C and a combo of other supplements. I am also a DES Daughter. There is now a link between DES exposure in utero and breast cancer!