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Join our Webinar: Breast Cancer and Mental Health: Healing Invisible Scars May 20, 2025, 4:30pm ET
If you’ve struggled with anxiety, fear, depression, or felt overwhelmed by the emotional impact of a diagnosis, this webinar is for you. We’re bringing the hidden traumas of breast cancer into the open for an honest conversation about mental health and cancer. We'll talk about ways to cope, what kind of support could…
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Share personal goals for the next year and your proudest moments of this year!
The end-of-year often leads to reflections about the past year and the next to come. Share your personal goals/ aspirations for the next year and also what you were most proud of this year.
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Have you experienced PTS or PTSD following a breast cancer diagnosis?
Please share below your experiences with PTS (post-traumatic stress) or PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). How has this affected your life, the way you feel, your relationships, activities? And how are you managing?
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How to Ease Stress
How to Ease Stress Apr 12, 2024 Dr. Pamela Ginsberg offers tools and tips on how to ease stress and anxiety after a breast cancer diagnosis. That being diagnosed with breast cancer is stressful is an understatement. It may be difficult to accept the diagnosis. You may feel overwhelmed by making so many decisions at once:…
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Have you experienced cancer "ghosting"?
Have you experienced a withdrawal from any friends or family members since your cancer diagnosis? Please feel free to share your detailed experiences with others below.
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Watch: Mental Health and Breast Cancer Webinar
This webinar brings the hidden traumas of breast cancer into the open for an honest conversation about mental health and cancer. Experts share tips on getting support for anyone who has struggled with anxiety, fear, depression, anger, or felt overwhelmed by the emotional impact of a diagnosis. Learn about a variety of…
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Mental Health Resources from Breastcancer.org
Surprised it’s only 1 in 4? You’re not alone. After being diagnosed with breast cancer, it is common to experience many emotional highs and lows. For some people, the effects of trauma caused by breast cancer can linger for months to years after being diagnosed. Here are some useful links from the pages of…
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Where did my motivation go?
I’m a pretty resilient person and have mostly taken my diagnosis in stride. Now that I’m just taking Herceptin every three weeks and the “tough stuff” like chemo, surgery and radiation are done, I’m feeling indifferent and unmotivated even when my rational and logical side tells me that the rewards/outcomes will be good…
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Has your faith, spiritual, or religious beliefs changed since cancer?
Please take our poll, and share your thoughts and feelings below in the discussion.
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STEAM ROOM FOR ANGER
This thread is meant to be for RANTS and RANTING. Then Rant again. We need a place to simply get rid of the anger. Write it here. Unleash it all. Get it out. This isn't meant for the Stupid comments(great thread). This is for the gut wrenching, tell them off anger. IMPORTANT: When done ranting don't necessarily stick…
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What are your “Mantras” to get you through a test, treatment, a bad day?
We all need tools to get us through our most difficult moments. If you have a mantra, or strategy, please share here!
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The Hermit Club
Hey all.....just got done reading a great thread under this topic about feeling like a hermit through this process, was wondering who else out there feels like cocooning themselves right now? I'm mid treatment with my chemo, and have basically isolated myself somewhat because I feel that all my energy is expended just…
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What part of day-to-day life during your breast cancer experience has been most challenging for you?
Take our poll and share details in the thread below!
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Do SSRIs Affect Hormones?
I'm hormone positive and recently started an SSRI for ongoing anxiety due to survivorship. A few weeks into it, I started having random side effects like increased sebum production, sore breasts, increased vaginal discharge, etc. It concerned me a bit so I started googling and came across this article which states,…
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Alcohol, and surgeon general recommendations. Let's talk about it here.
What are your feelings about this and how does it affect you? On January 3, the surgeon general released an advisory on alcohol use and cancer risk, noting that alcohol use contributes to 100,000 cancer cases and 20,000 cancer deaths in the U.S. each year. The cancers known to be affected by alcohol are mouth, throat,…
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Triple negative breast cancer
hi I have had triple negative breast cancer I finished my 6 month of chemotherapy but my pathology response wasn’t good I have axillary detection because of my lymph nodes wasn’t clear. I have been offered by my oncology team trial call MK-2870 (sacituzumab tirumorecan) for 6 month anyone have same experience or anyone…
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Anyone else currently in chemo?
Hi everyone, Me again Got through my second round of AC, just wondered if anyone else is currently going through it, just wanted some advice on how it’s mentally taking a toll and any advice on that? Thank you for any advice xx
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The dumbest things people have said to you/about you
Ok, I know, it might sound mean to make fun of people or call them "stupid" or "idiots". But I am sure that in your journey you had quite a bit of stupid/insensitive or plain dumb stuff told to you. And you wanted to just get those people by their collar and shake them real well (or maybe who knows, just give them a good…
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How do you feel about the "battle" terminology used about managing a breast cancer diagnosis?
How do you feel about the battle terminology (fight, warrior, strong) used about managing a breast cancer diagnosis? Take our poll and share your experiences below.
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Women with young children
Does the fear and sadness ever get easier? I was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer 6 months ago, and I can't stop thinking about leaving my 2 year old daughter behind. I know there's women who have it a lot worse than me. I'm just trying to figure out how you all are so strong. I'm on anxiety medicine and sought out…
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When positive thinking doesn't work !
I am two weeks post surgery and I know I am incredibly lucky - with cancer diagnosed very early, isolated to one breast and nothing in the lymph nodes, I am counting my blessings every day. Up to now I have managed to remain positive, positive thinking, healthy diets, entertaining an endless stream of visitors and…
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Impostor Syndrome anyone??
So I started my breast cancer journey just 3 months ago. I went for my first mammogram and within 1 month I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Despite my diagnosis, I must say that I have been blessed. The size of my tumor wasn't too big, grade 1 with no genetic mutations found in my genetic testing. A low-ish Oncotype…
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Comfort dogs
Okay, I am just throwing this out there: does anyone else feel closer to their dog than to humans through this roller coaster journey? I have a wonderful life and great support, but my little blind shelter dog Lewie (a white poodle mix) has been constantly by my side- whether I am sleeping on the couch after chemo or in…
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PTSD and cancer
https://www.breastcancer.org/community/podcasts/ptsd-20181220 I have read this transcript and it was simply amazing. I have developed PTSD type symptoms during cancer treatment and on top of other mental health issues. I have a psychiatrist to handle my physical symptoms but I'm finding it hard to find a therapist that I…
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How well do you feel your family understands your diagnosis?
Please take our poll and share your experiences below on navigating a breast cancer diagnosis at any stage with your family!
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Panic attack, sadness and breathing exercise
Hi everybody I'm usually happy and try to have my normal life, but sometimes I just feel like I'm going deeper snd deeper in to sadness, or having a strong panic attack . Especially now that I fpund out my cancer is back in my liver, after only an year of Ribociclib. I tough it was supposed to last 5 or 6 year, but not for…
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Warm & fuzzy owls, goats, kitties, dogs, birds ETC. PICS &LINKS
With W&F's take time to transfer your goodie connections---visual, youtube, short stories etc., or even go and find things to post here. It's a place our sisters and brothers can come to when they are recovering from sx's , chemo's, rads.......or as time passes for those that this damnable disease causes them to be to weak…
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INSOMNIACS place to talk in the wee hours
Welcome. This is called the insomnia thread, but we post 24/7/365. We call ourselves Owlettes :) No nastiness, bullying, stalking or such allowed. I would like to keep the kind fabric of this thread intact. Discussion will flow where it will as all threads do. This will be a happy place. I hope with lots of laughing. Talk…
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Severe anxiety, depression, and insomnia following quitting progesterone cold turkey
My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in both breasts in December of last year. Prior to her diagnosis she was taking progesterone to treat the effects of menopause. She stopped taking the progesterone after the diagnosis. Since then she has been experiencing extreme anxiety, depression, and insomnia. What treatment…
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3 years out 2 nd time.
a woman who knew what I’ve been through came up to me put her hands on my Buddha belly and asked when I was due. I was in shock. Brought me to my knees in heart break. Had many friends supporting me but they also could not believe it.
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I had a bilateral mastectomy over a year ago.
I don't know if I'm going crazy or what. I feel alone and nobody understands what I'm going through. I'm the first in both sides of my family to get breast cancer, first of all. And my mom and aunt's have passed away. In my father also. So I did do a genetic test and it dishow that there was no trace of it in my genes. So…
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physically depressed due to ai & OS shot?
after changing AI from letrozole to anastrozole I had I initially thought the side effects were more tolerable. However, it’s been about 9 months and I feel that robbing my body if every scrap of estrogen has brought me into an odd depression which seems purely physically and mental. I have zero motivation or energy to do…
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Scanxiety and results - can anyone relate?
I think I post something like this just about every year, but this forum is the only place where people really seem to understand. My five-year mammogram is coming up in about 10 days, and my scanxiety is in full swing. As before, experiencing the procedure doesn't bother me too much, but the idea of receiving my results…
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Feels unmotivated and tired all the time
I have stage IV triple negative breast cancer and is now on the third type of chemo drug, Paclitaxel. My life-long dream after 35 years is finally coming true, but I don't feel like doing anything. I am not motivated and always feel tired and depressed. I try to take a walk and bath to make a change in such emotional…
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What are your favorite ways to relax and destress during your breast cancer experience?
Choose one or more options below and feel free to elaborate and share specific recommendations in the comments below! We'd love to hear from you!
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A Retreat for Peaceful Contemplation
I have been told by many, that my pictures are so peaceful. So here is Picture #1 to start your journey. Come here to retreat whenever you like and remember to Breathe. Know that God and the ladies on this board are here for you. Please keep long conversations in PMs to each other.
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Did breast cancer prematurely age your brain?
Hi, I was diagnosed with Stage 3 hormone positive BC when I was 54. I underwent a bilateral mastectomy and had 16 lymph nodes removed which caused lymphedema (albeit mild, luckily). I’m going to be 61 in a few weeks and happy to say that as far as I know, I’m still cancer free. Yeah! But the disease and the hormone therapy…