Is it normal to want to cut the places you’ve had surgery?

Abit of backstory, I had cancer for about three years and was only told I was in the clear recently. Within that time I’ve had 4 surgeries, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy and lots of medical procedures. I’ve found that when I remember certain procedures, the part of my body it was on starts to feel uncomfortable. The main one for me at the moment is the thought of stabbing myself in my vagina, I had a lot of reconstruction in my pelvis, most of my vagina surgically removed, catheters put in etc. Has anyone else had this? These are just thoughts, I haven’t harmed myself I just need to know if this will stop. 

  • We're really pleased to hear you've been given the all clear Sophie although we're very sorry about the thoughts that have been popping up when you've been remembering the experiences you had during your treatment.

    Hopefully some of our members who have been in a similar situation will share their thoughts and advice with you soon but in the meantime, do be sure to discuss this with your cancer team, specialist or GP as they will be able to support you and help you work through these thoughts and feelings.

    The NHS have a lot of information and guidance on their Every Mind Matters website that I hope will prove useful at this time as well but if you'd like to have a chat with one of cancer nurses about this, they're just a phone call away on 0808 800 4040, Monday - Friday between 9a.m - 5p.m.

    Kind regards,

    Steph, Cancer Chat Moderator