I was one of those lucky people who breezed through 'Breast Cancer'. Chemo did not affect me too much and consequently I had just a few days off work for treatment and check ups. I had lots of support from family, friends and work colleagues, who all looked out for me and made me feel very special and valued while I was being treated.
It is now four years on and I am well and very healthy. But this wasn't always the case. Early last year I began to feel miserable. I had a very loving husband, two beautiful sons, a wonderful job and not a real care in the world. So what was wrong with me? My poor husband went through hell. I basically hid from the world and was just simply unhappy most of the time. This was not me - I am a happy optimistic person and my cup is always half full rather than half empty.
After feeling this way for seven or eight months I was finally at the stage of desperation. I needed to talk about how I felt with someone. I had kept these feelings very hidden from everyone who cared about me. My husband and I went to our doctor. The first thing my doctor did was apologise to me. He explained that the reason I felt so miserable was because of the damage done during my treatment. He explained to me that it was nothing to do with me mentally, it was actually a physical reaction and consequently, I was suffering from depression.
My doctor said the way to overcome these miserable feelings was to take an antidepressant, until my hormones settled down. Of course, I rejected the notion - I did not need this, I could overcome this problem on my own! I fought this for a few weeks and in the end I could not cope any longer, so I took the tablets.
Wow! It was the best thing I could have done. For a few months there my husband was getting sick of hearing me say, 'I feel fantastic'. It is now a year since I began taking the tablets. I have been put on tablets that are not addictive and when the time comes my doctor has told me it will be a fairly simple process to come off them.
I have to say that in receiving treatment for cancer, I could not have been better informed, but no one talks about this problem many of us experience a few years down the track. It is only from talking to other survivors that I have found that this is a really common problem. So I encourage other survivors to continue talking with your doctor and let them know how you are travelling.
My life is now perfect once again.
--Margaret Jean
