Almost immediately after your diagnosis, rumors start flying about your condition. Some people will have you dead and some will have you in their prayers. You will find out pretty quick your closest friends.
Free advice also starts coming your way. What I would do if it were me… Please don’t take their advice.
But there are some common sense things that might apply here. I feel as though the best advice you can get is from people who have had cancer. Those that have gone through the treatments and know exactly what you will be experiencing. Ask your doctor about some of those support groups. These people can give you better strategies for making it through difficult times.
Go for a second opinion. I went to five different doctors and got several different approaches. When I was first diagnosed, I was told I had cancer on my vocal chords. My second opinion was that it was not on my vocals at all but at the base of my tongue. Now if I had listened to my first doctor, I would have been minus my vocal chords, not able to talk, and still have cancer. Do not feel as though you have to be loyal to your doctor at this time, it’s for your own good.
Explore all the research you can for your particular type of treatment that is available. Inquire to others. Do not leave it all up to your doctor. When I found out about a particular treatment, I asked my doctor and he mentioned that he had heard of it but not that familiar with it. It was ultimately the treatment I chose.
You have every right to get mad, kick, scream, and cry. Do not let anyone take that away from you. But you do have to go through with what it takes to receive the treatment you need. Just ride it out. Above all, do not give up the fight, no matter how hard it may seem. I could not talk, had to have a feeding tube to get anything in my stomach, looked like death eating a cracker, but never for once did I think I was not going to make it. It does get better.
Be sure and make good friends with the nurses. Face it, you will see them more than the doctor. The nurses will help you and identify more of your problems than the primary doctor. That is just a fact. They will become your lifeline.
Regardless of your aches and pains, tell the nurses or doctor. They have a pill that will help with anything. I never felt like that was the time to worry about drug addiction anyway. I felt as though a good drug rehab facility could not be any worse than what I was going through.
Keep humor in your life. As always said, laughter is the best medicine. Turn off the news shows and turn on "I love Lucy" reruns, anything to keep your mind at ease.
Depression? Yea, plan on a little bit of that. But it should be temporary, again, resort to drugs and deal it with it later. Your first and primary goal is to get through your treatments.
All of this probably sound like cancer treatment is the worst thing you could ever possible do. In some cases it is. In some cases it’s not. It is all in the approach.
About two months ago my son was diagnosed with cancer of his vocal chords. I sat and told him everything that I’m typing right here. At 36 years old he is just not supposed to have to deal with all of this. He is taking it better than me. He is now on radiation treatment number 28 of 35. I met him at the clinic yesterday and he looked no different than before he started treatments. His throat is a little sore and his voice is a little raspy but other than that he is doing remarkable well.
I asked him about it all and how he was feeling. He just said that this was a temporary set back for a short period of time and he was the one who would determine his health, not the cancer. He has not lost a days work due to this, continues to coach his daughters softball team, very little changes in his diet but all in all his doctor said he is doing better than 95% of the people he has ever treated.
Cancer can take an emotional and a physical toll on you. Just remember you are the expert, it is your life. Listen to yourself. Your life may change dramatically after. I became mush more caring for other people, changed jobs, started thinking more of me and the direction I wanted to go in life.
If you are going through a battle right now, I wish you the best and I wish I could be there to just hold your hand for a moment.
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This post was written by admin on February 10, 2009
