You know youre a cancer patient when....
Comments
-
.......you're at a posh Southwestern resort and reading the spa menu: "deep tissue massage...nope; dry sauna....nope; steam room...nope; hot tub...nope; champagne by the pool....no---oh, what the hey, bring it on!"
You walk into the fancy gift shop and bypass everything except the sunscreen and insect repellent, because you can't tackle the hiking path or driving range unless you protect your LE arm from skeeters & sunburn!
You're at the airport and rejoice at the announcement your flight is delayed, because it gives you time to get to the bathroom and don your compression, which you'd forgotten to do after clearing the TSA line.
0 -
Barbe--I remember them calling out numbers like that, what is that all about?They never did explain any of that process to me.
ChiSandy--LOL at the rejoicing at the flight delay!
0 -
The numbers they call are the settings for the table and to confirm tattoo markings to make sure you're positioned right.
YKYACPW you hope the rays from the side catch your chin so you don't have to pluck the bloody new hairs!
0 -
0 -
YKYACPW you have a heavy down comforter, a lighter down blanket and sheets and on any given night, regardless of the temperature you rotate through every combination of blankets possible including fully covered and shivering and no covers at all.
0 -
CJSharma- my world exactly but I also have a clean facecloth beside the bed to dry myself off in the middle of the night. Plus several small pillows handy to use as wedges during the night. Oh to have just a "NORMAL" night of sleep. Seems like a distant memory
0 -
Dee - I seem to be on a timer. I rotate through the range of temperatures and every 3 hours hours, when I'm hot enough to bake bread, I wake up. My cat won't even sleep beside me now because I get so hot. Poor guy.
I have another more cynical one (sorry): YNYACPW: you "come out" to someone and spend more time comforting them about your disease then they do comforting you.
0 -
Just catching up with this thread after a REALLY long time....
Not so much funny as humbling: Saw my MO last week. As I was checking in, the receptionist leaned over the desk and whispered "Is that your real hair?" I stared at her for a few minutes before answering "Yes..." Then it occurred to me that most of the women she sees are there for chemo, and she must see every kind of bald head and headcovering ever made. She smiled and said "It's really cute." Ironically I didn't have chemo. Just made me think of my awesome sistahs here who did. I thought of all of you at that moment.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
YKYACP when you are actually glad your brain fog was so bad on Arimidex and Femara, because when you get a Traumatic Brain Injury a year later, it feels really familiar, and you are prepared.
~ ~ ~
CJSharma: I know the feeling. They announced my diagnosis one Sunday in church, and asked for prayers. After the service, the pastor's wife came up to me, grabbed me in a huge bear hug, and started SOBBING on my shoulder. I'm like, uh, how is this making me feel better?
0 -
YKYACPW you "out" yourself on Facebook so peeps will understand some of your "behaviour" and an old highschool buddy (40 years ago!!) gets ahold of you to tell you he is VERY upset and now realizes he loves you and this just CAN'T be happening to you!!" (I'm' stage IV now)
0 -
The comforting others phenomena is startling and amazing.People I never expected to react much at all fell apart, Other's I thought I would be supporting were the biggest support for me!Humans are strange.
0 -
Blessings - if you are in the Bay Area or close, let me know. I do volunteer work for a group who focuses on brain injury and they provide a lot of help, support and services. PM me if you would like more information. (it's a cause near and dear to my heart).
My MO told me that she kind of thinks people with hair look funny as she's used to seeing bald people. She things hair hides so many features of the face. Of course, I notice she has a beautiful shoulder length bob.
0 -
I've worked with this guy for 3 months now and today when I told him I'm almost finished rads he asked "What next?" I told him that I had to "try not to die". He started to weep!! 51 years old. It really touched me. I asked if I upset him over a family member and he said no, the tears were for me. I found out I was stage IV 2 days after I started working with him and then immediately went on a 4 day training course out of town with him. We've bonded.
0 -
Well Barbe, I'm thinking of you, too, and I haven't had the opportunity yet to bond with you (maybe we can meet up when I'm in Ontario in June - and I don't mean that in a weird, stalkerish way - I just like people and I enjoy meeting new ones). I think the most any of us can do is hang on tight and hope the ride is as long and smooth as possible.
0 -
CJ, I'd love to get together! Are you meeting people at a gathering in Ontario already? We had one every year for a while until we lost two members and then it got tough. Seeing people actually disappear was frightening.....
0 -
My company's HQ is in Ottawa. I go up several times a year.
Yeah, it is tough when we lose people. My mini-Aussie Jack is from a friend who used to breed them, but her cancer came back and she couldn't care for him - so she sent him to me. I was suppose to be a foster, but he's such a goofball that I had to keep him. I wonder what he thinks of me going through this too. I'll let you know as I get closer! 0 -
Here's another one. YKYACPW - other breast cancer survivors go out of their way to reach out, arrange meetings, and offer support and understanding that only someone who has been through this can offer. It's a club I never hoped to join, but now that I am here, I'm so grateful for the support and love.
0 -
And another one - YKYACPW you get home and you cannot figure out which makes you happier - taking off the bra or taking off the hair.
0 -
Oh CJ taking off the bra persisits, even after the hair grows back.
Can never bear that thing on too long.0 -
You know you are a cancer patient when you get half way to the restaurant for dinner and realize your right breast is still on the coffee table at home! 😳
0 -
LOL!!!
0 -
You Know You Are A Cancer Patient when someone leans over and whispers that there is a cure for cancer, but the big pharmacies won't sell it because they make too much money treating cancer. And they actually believe it.
0 -
When you are on FB and reads someone's post that says BS, and you think Breast Surgeon, and they ment bullshi*
0 -
Been there, done that!
0 -
LOL for sure with the BS.
0 -
0
-
Tessu: Thanks for posting - May no one have to do this BC dance alone! I'm now writing this with tears streaming down my face acknowledging that I am not alone.
0 -
Magiclight - Unfortunately there ARE those of us who do have to deal with this alone. Those of us without any family! Yes, there are support groups, but that is not the same. All of the pink for BC awareness is mainly for those not with MBC. Mostly for the benefit of the companies who are making money from the sales of all the pink products.
0 -
Jazzy June: I agree totally, BC is big business. At the store today I saw pink batteries - really!! Sorry you are living with MBC and do not have family, yet I hope you have close friends that support you in what may be daily struggles for you. In speaking just for me, I know that family, even if supportive, do not really understand and do not have the language of insiders. I know I never thought of this before I developed BC and mostly saw the pick October parties as some sort of closed women's group and their groupies.
0 -
cjsharma I just got a 4 year old Aussie. Her owner was getting I'll and needed to get rehomed. I'm going to start rads soon, so hopefully she's understanding if we walk instead of run.
0 -
I'm sorry if I offended anyone by posting the Pink Gloves video above. I am aware that many companies just use the Pink campaigns for their own profit, many here, too, because only microscopic portions of the (often inflated) sale price of Pink items actually ends up benefitting cancer patients. But I was pleased to read that by using pink wrap for their hay bales this year, Finnish farmers raised $10,500 which is all going to Finnish cancer research and treatment
Every little bit helps YKYACP and that you've finally finally begun to move forward when yes you DO plant spring flower bulbs into the garden, because you dare to believe you'll be around to enjoy them bloom next spring.
(I didn't plant any last fall, not just because I was in the middle of chemo and exhausted, but because I felt what's the point.)
0
