Today was Chemo day for me. I only have 2 of these sessions to go. Whew....I am so glad to see light at the end of the tunnel. Each time I have chemo it catches up to me a little more. The side effects get a little worse, I tolerate it a little less and it takes a little more time to recoup....of course the alternative is not an option.
So...I was thinking today that I am going to miss all these girls in my little chemo group....we have bonded in a good way...sharing stories and urging each other on when someone is having a bad day. We laugh and joke, we feel sad and mad, we share ideas and tips for dealing with the side effects...and in a short period of time we have come to know each other in a special way.
Today I met a cancer survivor. I don't want to name names...to respect some privacy...but she is a friend of another gal in the group. She came in today to say hello. She had been a patient of Dr. Kumar and has the utmost respect for him. Her hair is growing in beautifully, she has had reconstruction and she was so upbeat and fun and such a pleasure to be around ...she brightened the day for all of us. There is a question however. What is the definition of SURVIVOR? The American Heritage dictionary describes a survivor like this: "To carry on despite hardships or trauma; persevere".
Some say....when the treatments are done and there is no evidence of cancer...you are a survivor...some measure a survivor in years...I am a 5 year, 10 year survivor. I like to measure a survivor from the minute a person decides to fight this disease. When you are diagnosed and decide to accept treatment...you have become a survivor.
I consider myself a survivor and all of those gals pals in my chemo group are survivors. Fighting the battle...toughing it out...that is surviving.
1 comment:
Judy--
I haven't had a chance to check in on your blog for awhile. While catching up on old mail today, I thought I'd see how you are doing. Two treatments to go!!! Yeah!!! I know it seems like an eternity while you are going through them, but here you are nearing the end.
I know when I went for my last treatment, I was so happy that they would be ending, and the staff was just wonderful--made a big fuss and gave me a certificate! The interesting thing was that not long afterwards, I started crying that my treatments were over! How weird is that? I mentioned this to my daugher--and daughters being daughters--she did some research. It seems this is not an unusual reaction. While I was on the chemo, I felt very protected from a recurrence and felt vulnerable once they were over. After 5 yrs. of Tamoxifin and now almost 5 years of Femara, I will be asking my dr. on my next app't what he can give me next! Nothing like a pyschological crutch.
Glad you have been able to get back to work. It will take awhile for your enery level to return--but eventually you will feel like your old self. Way to go!
Evelyne
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