Emotions and Breast Cancer

Women with breast cancer can feel like they are on a roller coaster of emotions when it comes to making decisions about treatments or surgeries. Some women may feel overwhelmed with emotions like anger, depression, anxiety, but they also talk about hope, optimism, and joy. As women go through these challenging times, receiving and giving support becomes essential.

On MyBCTeam, the social network and online support group for women facing breast cancer, members talk about a range of personal experiences and struggles. The many emotions (both the highs and the lows) that come with living with breast cancer is one of the frequent topics members discuss.

Here are some conversations about emotions:

• Had a panic attack on the table and my blood pressure jumped up to the 180s but got through it.
• I no longer ‘hope’ to live. I ‘intend’ to live.
• Waiting is still so stressful. It's like waiting to see if you passed a test of sorts. My mind knows that worrying cannot change the results, but it doesn't seem to care!

Here are a few question-and-answer threads about emotions:

• Can medication cause anxiety and insomnia?
• I'm scared of a recurrence. How do you cope?
• Where did all the emotions come from?

Can you relate?

Have another topic you'd like to discuss or explore? Go to MyBCTeam today and start the conversation. You'll be surprised just how many others may share similar stories.

Feel free to ask a question here.