How to stay mentally healthy when you have cancer

When I was diagnosed with cancer in 2018, I felt very afraid but I knew that I needed to stay mentally healthy. When you stay mentally healthy, you manage the physical issues far better. I had had a colonoscopy two years prior to this and there had been a few abnormal structural changes but it wasn’t emphasized to me and I assumed everything was fine. The only reason I went for another colonoscopy was that due to having Cystic Fibrosis, I experienced symptoms similar to IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). I decided to get a colonoscopy to see whether this procedure could spot any of the causes.

Thankfully, the cancer was spotted early (Stage 1) and it was treated aggressively. My Doctor said that I would need to have part of my removed (about 15cms). They certainly weren’t messing about! On top of colon cancer, I ended up with a bowel blockage after the surgery and that was absolute hell.

While I was in the hospital and struggling with my health, I worried that my partner wouldn’t stay with me because he lost his late wife to cancer. I had so much going through my mind and felt lost and vulnerable.

Take it one day at a time

Instead of catastrophising about the future, I tried to take it one day at a time. If I focused on the future and all the “what ifs” it just made me…