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u/OldBrownWookiee ยท 3 pointsr/ISurvivedCancer

Hi there /u/kungpowchick_9! Super happy that your husband is in remission! You're awesome for supporting him and continuing to do so!! Seeing a therapist helps, especially one that's had experience with cancer patients. I had a great therapist, but she retired.
Post chemo, for a good year or so, I was taking (daily) 2Mg of Xanax, 20 Mg of Lexapro and for insomnia 20Mg of Ambien. I had Hodgkin's Lymphoma and the 12 cycles of ABVD chemotherapy that cured me also did a number on my body.

Although these meds made my anxiety go away, I was numb to the world. I was going through the motions of life but I wasn't ever really there. My memories of the year or so post chemo, in my minds eye, is very hazy... it's a lot like looking through a window smeared with vaseline.
At a very low point in my life I decided to wean off the meds and get some control over myself. I can't say that I wasn't terrified of that feeling of dread that would take over my body without warning.
In addition to the stabbing pain I'd feel in my chest, my body always felt "noise". Picture a television set on channel three... that's the closest I can get to describing it.
I had issues getting back into the swing of things at work, and life in general... the routine of chemo, office visits, scans, were comforting to me. After I was done I found it difficult to acclimate, the new normal wasn't what I was expecting it to be.
My job at that time consisted of going to people's homes and repairing computers. As I was waiting on a program to install, on a particularly rough day, I saw a book on my client's desk called, ["Mindfulness" An Eight-Week Plan for finding peace in a Frantic World."] (https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Eight-Week-Finding-Peace-Frantic/dp/1609618955/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1523081157&sr=8-3&keywords=mindfulness)
I asked my client about it when he came in to check on the progress of his machine and we had an hour long conversation on how the book helped him, what mindfulness was. He pointed me to some videos on YouTube that described the science behind it and I was intrigued. I completed the service call and went on my way. When I looked in my bag at the end of the day, he had placed the book in there without my knowledge, along with a note saying that he knew it would help me and that he hoped that I found the peace that I was looking for. I wear my heart on my sleeve and I find it easy to discuss what I went through. So, I felt obligated to try it and I'm glad I did, as cliche as it sounds, it changed my life. I currently meditate twice a day, 10 minutes in the morning, 10 at night before bed. The book has instructions on how to download some audio tracks that you can use to follow along with the exercises in the book. If they aren't available please PM me and I can get it them to you. I have the ebook as well. I don't listen to the tracks anymore, well, from time to time I may... meditating is second nature now. Like /u/unicorn-81 I listen to Pema Chodron guided meditations every once in a while. Mindfulness taught me live in the moment. It feels as if life has slowed down for me and not a lot of things bother me like they used to. Most importantly I don't feel that heavy burden anymore. When I do get overwhelmed, taking a walk helps, before I was diagnosed we adopted a Labrador named Charlie and he was with me (and continues to be) for the entire experience.
I also came across a breathing technique (which is ultimately what meditation is fundamentally about) called the [4 - 7 - 8] (https://youtu.be/_-C_VNM1Vd0) it helps reset your nervous system, [here's] (https://blog.spire.io/2017/08/09/use-4-7-8-breathing-technique-reduce-stress/) a great blog post that describes it. The more you do it, the more it helps. I do it from time to time to get a grip on things if I'm feeling wonky.
The false positive happened to me as well. I can't say anything really helped me climb back up. Time did that. After going through what we did those scans are very stressful, you run the gamut of joy and despair as you wait on those results. Having to go through all of the treatment again isn't something any of us want.
Although, I did save a ton of money on shampoo... =)
I really hope these suggestions help you guys!!
Something I haven't seen mentioned is to have him to come and take a look at this sub, /u/unicorn-81 created something very special here. I've been visiting for quite some time, lurking here and there, just recently decided to contribute to the conversation. The community here has reminded me that although I may feel alone sometimes, I'm really not. Good luck!!