Medical Cancer Diagnoses While Fighting Ptsd

[Deleted member 40217]

Hi, I was diagnosed today with lympnode cancer of the neck. I have battled thyroid cancer 4xs in the past 25 yrs. Sadly I have got used to news like this and just fight through the process but this time my newly diagnosed ptsd is in full effect and has me in a double battle. I have read that child abuse can cause autoimmune diseases as well as certain thyroid cancers Has anyone heard of this? Does anyone else suffer from cancer and ptsd? If so, what do you focus on first? This is so confusing. Thx for listening

 

[Ronin]

Hello, welcome, glad you found us :)

Whichever is worse long-term, first focus.

So you focus on the cancer. The PTSD is kind of a disorder that, while bad, will wait there for you, it really isn't going anywhere.

 

[walksthrufire]

I can't speak much of cancer except having family members who survived or passed on and live in my heart. I do have a little bit of answer for your question about connections to thyroid. My Grandmother has a hypothyroid and has had different thyroid related health problems through out her life. She's had skin cancer, an auto immune disease (I don't know the name, my mum does) and she grew up on a farm if that can answer some of your questions.

 

[7Cs]

Hugs to you. It can be really hard to deal with PTSD and a crisis at the same time. While I've had PTSD for many years, the last 3 have been VERY challenging and I always worry about how much worse my PTSD symptoms will get during these times. Luckily I've found that I go back into a sort of "survivor mode" and usually experience less symptoms than usual. I myself have not been diagnosed with cancer but my husband was last year (he's in full remission now) and last month my son who is 7 was diagnosed with autoimmune diabetes. There have been other rather major crisis in the last few years but those two take the cake so to speak. All in all I've coped pretty well and, as a survivor of childhood abuse, I think you will too... after all we are survivors.

A good therapist will be helpful through all this as well.