Need some positive news

Keep on enjoying those 2 and 5 year olds, wish I had some for distraction!  This situation is and will continue to be a problem and you need to find a way to manage it, otherwise it will manage you and not very nicely…..you become a ship on the high seas being tossed about without a captain!   Scanxiety is a problem for all of us and the longer you're in battle here, the worse it gets.  Something that always helps me when I'm feeling that intense melanoma what if's…..I always tell myself, I could be wiped out in a moments notice tomorrow by some other means ????? and because there is no notice, we don't worry about it, so why should I give melanoma any extra time.  The other thing I remind myself about is, even though we can be in a serious situation, we may go on to live a very long and extended life, wouldn't it be sad if we spent the whole time thinking we were going to die tomorrow…..I'm sure we would regret the time wasted!  Live and enjoy life and what will be, will be.  You cannot change the scan results but please don't spend time worrying about something that hasn't happened yet…..trust me, there will be plenty of time for that!  This is all completely normal, we've all been there and have found a way to manage our fears!

Take care, 

Swanee

Keep on enjoying those 2 and 5 year olds, wish I had some for distraction!  This situation is and will continue to be a problem and you need to find a way to manage it, otherwise it will manage you and not very nicely…..you become a ship on the high seas being tossed about without a captain!   Scanxiety is a problem for all of us and the longer you're in battle here, the worse it gets.  Something that always helps me when I'm feeling that intense melanoma what if's…..I always tell myself, I could be wiped out in a moments notice tomorrow by some other means ????? and because there is no notice, we don't worry about it, so why should I give melanoma any extra time.  The other thing I remind myself about is, even though we can be in a serious situation, we may go on to live a very long and extended life, wouldn't it be sad if we spent the whole time thinking we were going to die tomorrow…..I'm sure we would regret the time wasted!  Live and enjoy life and what will be, will be.  You cannot change the scan results but please don't spend time worrying about something that hasn't happened yet…..trust me, there will be plenty of time for that!  This is all completely normal, we've all been there and have found a way to manage our fears!

Take care, 

Swanee

Keep on enjoying those 2 and 5 year olds, wish I had some for distraction!  This situation is and will continue to be a problem and you need to find a way to manage it, otherwise it will manage you and not very nicely…..you become a ship on the high seas being tossed about without a captain!   Scanxiety is a problem for all of us and the longer you're in battle here, the worse it gets.  Something that always helps me when I'm feeling that intense melanoma what if's…..I always tell myself, I could be wiped out in a moments notice tomorrow by some other means ????? and because there is no notice, we don't worry about it, so why should I give melanoma any extra time.  The other thing I remind myself about is, even though we can be in a serious situation, we may go on to live a very long and extended life, wouldn't it be sad if we spent the whole time thinking we were going to die tomorrow…..I'm sure we would regret the time wasted!  Live and enjoy life and what will be, will be.  You cannot change the scan results but please don't spend time worrying about something that hasn't happened yet…..trust me, there will be plenty of time for that!  This is all completely normal, we've all been there and have found a way to manage our fears!

Take care, 

Swanee

Very wise and comforting advice, Swanee. Great post!

Ah yes… I think every single person here can relate to the battle! I distinctly remember one day after my very first recurrence when I was taking a shower and I just began to feel gripped with fear and anxiety ( I am normally a very non-anxious person) and I began to pray. And it came to me that I can NOT change what will be.. if the disease takes me, I cannot change that ultimate outcome…BUT I CAN change what each day lived will be like. My husband said early on that " we must not let melanoma steal away anything that it does not absolutely have to." In other words… there are losses and times of struggle, but to the biggest extent possible we constantly leave those things in God's hands and count every day a blessing. Looking always to live fully in the intervals. Leaving it in His hands, and living one day/one moment at a time makes a huge difference. NOW… as for the scanxiety…. I still get it – though now many times only the night before or the day after as I sit in a Drs office waiting to be told the results. It is a huge challenge. I always schedule the follow up appt for results at the SOONEST possible moment ( now that I am at Vanderbilt the scans get read the day of – otherwise I always scheduled appt the the day after).I try to keep myself fairly busy in the couple days prior, and the day of, whoever goes with me, we usually try to make some kind of nice outing from it ( I always have to travel a little distance for scans). And…constantly praying and trusting the Lord with the outcome. Not easy…I dont do it perfectly. I have yet to meet anyone who is on this journey who does not have some scanxiety!!

Now…. for some encouragement. I became stage IV back in 2005 – not gret statistics, as you know. BUT…that was in 2005. yesterday I swam 40 laps at the YMCA! He holds our times in His hands. You are never a statistic.

Tina

Ah yes… I think every single person here can relate to the battle! I distinctly remember one day after my very first recurrence when I was taking a shower and I just began to feel gripped with fear and anxiety ( I am normally a very non-anxious person) and I began to pray. And it came to me that I can NOT change what will be.. if the disease takes me, I cannot change that ultimate outcome…BUT I CAN change what each day lived will be like. My husband said early on that " we must not let melanoma steal away anything that it does not absolutely have to." In other words… there are losses and times of struggle, but to the biggest extent possible we constantly leave those things in God's hands and count every day a blessing. Looking always to live fully in the intervals. Leaving it in His hands, and living one day/one moment at a time makes a huge difference. NOW… as for the scanxiety…. I still get it – though now many times only the night before or the day after as I sit in a Drs office waiting to be told the results. It is a huge challenge. I always schedule the follow up appt for results at the SOONEST possible moment ( now that I am at Vanderbilt the scans get read the day of – otherwise I always scheduled appt the the day after).I try to keep myself fairly busy in the couple days prior, and the day of, whoever goes with me, we usually try to make some kind of nice outing from it ( I always have to travel a little distance for scans). And…constantly praying and trusting the Lord with the outcome. Not easy…I dont do it perfectly. I have yet to meet anyone who is on this journey who does not have some scanxiety!!

Now…. for some encouragement. I became stage IV back in 2005 – not gret statistics, as you know. BUT…that was in 2005. yesterday I swam 40 laps at the YMCA! He holds our times in His hands. You are never a statistic.

Tina

Ah yes… I think every single person here can relate to the battle! I distinctly remember one day after my very first recurrence when I was taking a shower and I just began to feel gripped with fear and anxiety ( I am normally a very non-anxious person) and I began to pray. And it came to me that I can NOT change what will be.. if the disease takes me, I cannot change that ultimate outcome…BUT I CAN change what each day lived will be like. My husband said early on that " we must not let melanoma steal away anything that it does not absolutely have to." In other words… there are losses and times of struggle, but to the biggest extent possible we constantly leave those things in God's hands and count every day a blessing. Looking always to live fully in the intervals. Leaving it in His hands, and living one day/one moment at a time makes a huge difference. NOW… as for the scanxiety…. I still get it – though now many times only the night before or the day after as I sit in a Drs office waiting to be told the results. It is a huge challenge. I always schedule the follow up appt for results at the SOONEST possible moment ( now that I am at Vanderbilt the scans get read the day of – otherwise I always scheduled appt the the day after).I try to keep myself fairly busy in the couple days prior, and the day of, whoever goes with me, we usually try to make some kind of nice outing from it ( I always have to travel a little distance for scans). And…constantly praying and trusting the Lord with the outcome. Not easy…I dont do it perfectly. I have yet to meet anyone who is on this journey who does not have some scanxiety!!

Now…. for some encouragement. I became stage IV back in 2005 – not gret statistics, as you know. BUT…that was in 2005. yesterday I swam 40 laps at the YMCA! He holds our times in His hands. You are never a statistic.

Tina

Very wise and comforting advice, Swanee. Great post!

Very wise and comforting advice, Swanee. Great post!