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Venting About Skin Cancer & Mental Health

I have posted here many times before about my anxiety and fear about my skin cancer and how this has taken over my life. I suffer from OCD and so I struggle with handling my obessions in a rational manner. OCD often takes what are rational concerns – health, safety, etc, and magnifies them in such a way that they become completely irrational. It isn’t like its sometimes displayed in the media. OCD is more often like a consistent hammering in ones mind that X is horribly wrong and that the sufferer must immediately do Y to try and correct the situation. This battle is one that I fear I am losing right now, which has little or nothing to do with the reality of dealing with any future skin cancer or other health issues, but more that I am losing the battle to handle my fear and anxiety and letting it run my life.
I am coming up on the one year anniversary of my first spot of basal cell carcinoma being found, quickly followed by a spot of squimash cell, and a second basal cell – all in a 3 month period. Since then I have not had any other spots found, though there have been a few precancerous spots frozen off.
My biggest issue is just reacting to any new spot that shows up on my body with the thought that this is the next spot of cancer and that it is going to be the one to metastasize or spread and that will kill me.
As I am in my mid 40s, I’m not young, but certainly hope to have several more decades of life to live. I mean, I believe that I am doing what I need to do to minimize chances of future cancer – regular doctor checks, regular dermatology checks, wearing sun screen, wide brimmed hats, sun shirts, trying to stay out of the sun at peak hours, etc, but this is still not enough for my mind. The greatest challenge for myself is the uncertainty of what the future holds. My mind generally views things as worst case scenario, which of course goes into overdrive with my anxiety and fear.

  1. I can relate to your situation very well. My entire life has been taken over with thoughts of removal surgery. If they’ll get it all. If it will come back. How long surgery will take. How to handle bandaging on my back where I cannot reach. How to shower with bandaging. I’m hoping the plastic surgeon will discuss all of this but in the meantime it’s all consuming. Exhausting

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