So You're Finishing Treatment....?

Sadie-Rose

So You're Finishing Treatment....?

Sadie-Rose

Hi Everyone,

I have noticed that a lot of you are finishing treatment or are close to finishing treatment. I wanted to mention the emotional ups and downs you can have as treatment ends. When I was going through treatment I was commenting to a nurse one day about how well I thought I was doing, keeping my mood up. She mentioned that most women have a more difficult time after treatment ended. I thought about her comments and thanked her for her insight, but I knew I wasn't going to be one of those people.

Well, I did go through a hard time when treatment ended. My anxiety went up and my mood went down. I remember feeling like I was being abandoned because I didn't have the constant connection to my treatment team Also, I had assumed when I got to the end of treatment my journey would be over. The reality that the finish line kept moving further out, took some adjustment. It took me awhile to accept that my life had changed. I was now a woman who happened to have cancer.

I wanted to tell you this because when I hit the low spot, it helped me to know that it was to be expected. It was part of the journey and could be predicted. It helped to know that this would pass and I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.

One of biggest lessons for me was to learn that sometimes you just have to hang on and go for the ride. I couldn't control everything that was going to happen. I learned to listen to my body more; I learned to rest when I was tired, to cocoon when I felt wounded and to make the very best of the time when I feel good.

So tonight I was just thinking about all of you with gratitude and I was thinking fondly of the caring nurse who shared her wisdom with me.

I think I am rambling here so I'll head off to bed now.

Have a good night.

Sadie

HollyHopes

Thanks for this Sadie - your words are very reassuring and healing.  You may have seen my thread...I have been having difficulty coping for the past few months since my treatment ended in September...

CaNatalie

Hi Sadie,

I am so glad you said what you did. I just finished treatment (chemo) a few weeks ago and have had some low moments. Everyone is so happy I am done with chemo and I am more scared. I have surgery scheduled for March 5^th so I am anxious to get my final path report then. But I defiantly see your point and appreciate the heads up. It's seems so hard not to freak out over every little bump or cough.

Thank you for sharing some words of experience and I am sure I will be back to reread your words in the next coming months.

Holly- Hope you are having a better time and finding some comfort-or at least laughs...your thread is so funny!

Take care,

Natalie

Negative3Grade3

Thank you so much, Sadie. 

Although I'm done with chemo and surgery, I kind of felt wierd not having my next chemo scheduled so I started doing some research on radiation options and came across some articles on pre-operative treatment that I posted on the other thread.  This was/is my coping mechanism.  I know not everybody would be like doing that but as long as each one of us finds a way to make sense of this uncharted territory of our life, so much the better.  I'm also hoping that when I start teaching again full-time in the Fall (I'm only teaching one course a semester this past year), things will be different (not too much time to do research on triple negatives:-), and hopefully that and all the other things important in my life will take my mind away or offer me some valuable respite.  Time to go to bed, too:-)

Christina

Sadie-Rose

Hi Christina,

What subject do you teach?

Sadie

Sadie-Rose

Sadie-Rose

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