Re: Panicking about breast clinic referral and other scenarios. Can't sleep.
Originally Posted by
Coppernob
My sister-in-law died in June of lung cancer, all happened very quickly as she had no warning at all until her lung collapsed, at least that's what we understand but you never know really.
Sorry about your sister, but it is possible that she knew something was wrong but avoided doing anything about it - for whatever reason.
But how do I get the thoughts out of my head? How do I sleep? I tried slow deep breathing last night, but then got fixated on my breathing and couldn't relax at all. Only had a few hours sleep. Any advice on coping gladly accepted!
There is only one way to stop this and that's to accept that you're not your sister, that you do have anxiety, and that this is all temporary because you will either be given the all clear (likely) or a diagnosis which most likely won't be cancer. It's just the one your HA is running with. It's far more likely to be anxiety or something trivial, as in muscular, but HA isn't interested in trivial. It likes cancer, strokes, heart attacks and all those other scary diseases.
But, even if it is what you fear, you will handle it because it's easier to deal with reality (even it's a difficult one) than fear of the unknown.
But my money is on anxiety...
It doesn't surprise me that this chest symptom has manifested itself after your sister's death from lung cancer. It makes absolute sense, anxiety wise, that this should happen - such is the power of the mind.
I reached a point with my HA where I was going to have a test which would 100% prove that I had cancer. There wasn't a shadow of a doubt in my mind. So, I stopped fearing it, and I faced it telling myself that I would accept my fate. The fear left me and that night I slept really well - despite the 'dead woman walking' scenario. Of course, my test was clear. I didn't have cancer, or anything else in my colon. But, the acceptance remained and that was the beginning of my recovery.
This is the perfect time to practice acceptance - now when you're scared - not when you get the all clear. If you can do it now, you're half-way there.
It's not realistic to tell ourselves we're never going to get ill because that risk increases as we age. Part of living is accepting this.
It's also about choosing our attitudes when we do become ill.
HA controlled my life for a years - decades - but I got there in the end and it's all down to acceptance.
All the best for Friday. X
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A thought is harmless unless we believe it.