Good Morning Cancer Patients and
Caregivers;
Every year when the month of August
rolls around I remember the physical state I was in having completed two rounds
of chemo treatment from June and July that required me to sit in an infusion
chair for 5 hours, for 5 days in a week and repeat it the next month. When
August came, I started 25 days of radiation treatment while carrying a 24 hour
chemo infusion pack. I was getting pretty run down and chemo'd out. I knew
there was more to come on the journey.
I have never been a half empty or half
full guy but thought there must be something good about cancer treatment
besides reminding you of your mortality. About the 18th of August I started
putting together a list of the good things I had experienced from cancer
treatment. First, the test results showed shrinking of the tumor and my health
was stable. I also noticed that chemo brain had set in, and for the life of me,
I couldn't figure out why I did certain things, but it didn't bother me. I
began to put a list together of the good things about cancer treatment,
specifically chemo and radiation.
- Mosquitoes, tics and chiggers won't bite you.
- If you need to lose weight, 5 days of chemo will do it quickly.
- Legal use of steroids.
- No need to shave.
- A bald head dries fast.
- Won't need to get a haircut for a while.
- Eat foods you don't like because you have no sense of taste.
- Beer is one of the few things I could taste.
- You could apply for a handicap parking tag.
- Blame everything on chemo brain.
- Get more sleep.
- Sunburned without being in the sun.
- Pleased with small accomplishments
- Much lower set of expectations
I’m sure there are more but this was
the list I remember developing one day when I was not feeling very well and
just needed to lift my spirits.
When the treatment has got you down and your
spirits could use a lift, try this. Best case, it will create a diversion so
you take your mind off not feeling well. Use your sense of humor and make it
work for you.
Stay strong, keep your sense of
humor and never give up.
