Journey vs Ordeal

I am with you, it is definitely an ordeal!

I have always thought of journeys as pleasant. The best I can say about 10 1/2 of stage IV bc? What long strange trip it’s been (thank you Grateful Dead!) .

I guess technically you are moving from a Prior Life of Innocence to a New Life of Anxiety so if people want to call THAT a journey, they can knock themselves out. Sometimes I think using journey relates more to the pink brigade types who may not have as long an arduous road to endure or have really good long term prognoses and are all 'fighters'. When you are IV, its rather you are still going, you just picked up a crappy passenger in the backseat calling all the shots and taking you places you would never have otherwise gone (and for good reason!).

Although it is not the worst thing to happen to me it is an ordeal for sure.

I think of it as an endurance slog. To me, ordeal is too much like using "battle" and that word makes me cringe. But it would depend on the stage and treatments and side effects and all kinds of things; it's certainly an ordeal for many people who had chemo and/or are higher stages.

When I was first diagnosed, I was introduced to the term "shit sandwich." That pretty much describes it IMO.

I needed this thread so much right now, Gardengurl--thank you! I'm nearing 10 years out and the gift and journey speak is full blast outside my condo walls with the few people here (I relocated) that actually know what happened to me. I'm grateful to be here, but the pressure to be pollyanna positive because I got through this is just really hard when there's still so much that is different in my life now since diagnosis and so much that I still push through. There are a lot in my own circle who equate acknowledging pain/struggle/how hard it has been with being negative instead of being real and in the moment. I've had to work through some of my concerns about these reactions with councellors who are familiar with cancer treatments and also mindfulness and guided meditations has helped me. Ordeal definitely resonates so much more with me than journey. I also find it super hard when some family members and friends full blast credit their prayers and other spiritual rituals for my still being here and also for every diagnostic test outcome I've had since. I can't even imagine reciprocating that to another person. Quietgirl is spot on. There are words that work well for some and really don't fit for others. lw422 and alicebastable I could not agree more. Shit Sandwich 100%.