Welcome to the No Stomach For Cancer Online Community!

Ive tested positive for the HDGC gene two year ago. I planned on getting a TG in the much further future, but due to a recent diagnosis in my family, it is no longer safe to wait.

I am a nervous wreck. Can anyone suggest more ways of dealing both until I get my surgery date, and the actually day of? I have such severe panic and anxiety attacks that I am scared that my surgery will get cancelled.

Hi Olivia, I can appreciate your fear and apprehension. Sometimes the whole idea of the mutation and having this surgery is infathomable even after having been through it.

I hope you’ve read through all the information on this website, particularly the articles dealing with preparing for the surgery. Sometimes it’s what we don’t know that creates the biggest fears. Have you consulted with a surgeon? Do you have a date yet?

I can tell you that I was basically on autopilot from the point of knowing I needed the surgery until the morning of the surgery. I guess I was suppressing the anxiety which probably isn’t a good thing. I did have a huge panic attack when I had to put on the gown to prep for the operation. That’s the moment it became real to me.

You have to know that what you are doing is right. I dont know what your situation is or how much this had affected your family. Admittedly, it was easy for me to see that I had to have this done. I watched my sister and my father battle with this and ultimately lose because their cancers were late-stage. And then I watched as other family members courageously took charge of their health and nip this cancer in the bud by having surgery.

Aside from just absorbing all the information you can about this syndrome and the surgery, it may help to check out people’s blogs on the Personal Stories section of the website (and I’m not just saying that because mine is there!). Reading how other people came to this decision and how they worked it out mentally both before and after was what saved me from completely losing it.

Learn deep breathing exercises. Look into quiet meditation. Set aside at least a few minutes everyday to be still and reflect on the fact that by having this surgery, you will never get stomach cancer. And I cannot stress enough that you have to develop, if need be, and then keep, a positive attitude throughout all of this. I know it sounds hard. But I’ve been pessimistic a lot in my life and I’ve learned it doesn’t do any good. Know the risks of this surgery and the complications one can have afterwards, yes, but don’t dwell on them. Dwell on the positive aspects of what you are doing.

Hope this helps. Keep us posted on your surgery and how you are making out.

Teresa

Hi Olivia,

What great responses you've had here from Karen, Teresa, and Simone!  They speak from truly knowing what it's like to have the mutation and face the decision to have surgery.

I can't speak from that experience, but I can echo the relief of seeing 4 of my loved ones overcome cancer rather than lose their lives to it as my dear mother-in-law and beloved husband did.  It's still sort of surreal to me that my sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and my two kids have all faced this surgery and are living normal healthy lives as a result.  My kids have even raced in half-marathons within the first year of their surgeries!

But the real reason I wanted to write is that although I'm not a medical professional, I have been a licensed counselor for over 25 years, and I do know firsthand that there are very safe and effective treatments for anxiety.  During the time of my husband's illness and my children's surgeries, I had times of intense anxiety when short-term, low-dose medications were critical to my functioning and oh-so-helpful.  Depending on where you live, it's possible that you can be evaluated and prescribed a temporary medication by your primary care physician or PA or NP, and/or your gastroenterologist or surgeon.  I know you would not be the first to request this kind of assistance. 

I hope you can find some relief so that this process becomes much less anxiety-producing and more hopeful for you.

Please keep us posted on your plans, and feel welcome, as others have said, to keep asking questions.

Hugs from Wisconsin,

Cindy

Hi Olivia,

I can only speak from my own experience however it does seem to fit a similar pattern to most other peoples stories. As mentioned, I purposely gained weight with the knowledge of losing alot post surgery. My surgeon was ok with this but told me that it made his job easier to not be too over weight. That said, he also told me that he had performed the surgery on all bodyshapes successfully.

I am now almost 4 months post surgery and have lost a total of 10KG. I am hoping that I will not loose too much more weight however this is unknown. I am very pleased now that I gained the extra weight.
Thinking of you Olivia as I do understand what a tough place it is be where you are now!
Take Care
Simone