Hi all. I finished treatment (chemo after surgery) for Stage 3 colon cancer about 10 months ago. My first couple of surveillance scans have been clear, which is amazing and I know I should be relieved. But honestly? The fear of recurrence (FoR) feels like it’s constantly stalking me. Every little ache, pain, cough, weird feeling sends my anxiety into overdrive, convinced this is it. It’s exhausting and feels like it’s stealing the ‘second chance’ I supposedly have. Does this intense level of fear ever get better? How do you live alongside this uncertainty without letting it take over?

  • michaeljohnsonEnglish
    1·
    8 months ago

    Hey Andrew. FoR is the unwelcome guest that overstays its welcome. It DOES get better, but ‘better’ might mean ‘different’.

    • My Coping Tool: The ‘2-Week Rule’ for minor aches/pains. If it’s new and weird, I acknowledge it, note it down, and if it persists unchanged for 2 weeks, then I call the doc. 9 times out of 10, it resolves on its own, saving me weeks of panic. (Doesn’t apply to obvious red flags like coughing blood, severe pain etc., obviously!).
    • Andrew AndersonOPEnglish
      1·
      8 months ago

      The 2-week rule sounds interesting. My brain immediately goes “BUT WHAT IF IT’S TOO LATE IN 2 WEEKS?!” – which probably shows how high my anxiety is! But I can see how it could filter out the everyday noise. Maybe worth trying to adapt. Thanks Michael.

      • michaeljohnsonEnglish
        1·
        8 months ago

        Totally get that reaction! It took practice. Sometimes I’d ‘negotiate’ - “Okay brain, we’ll check in on this specific pain every day for 3 days. If it’s worse, we call. If same/better, we wait.” Baby steps!