Hearing the words “You have cancer AGAIN” is a daunting experience. There are so many things that run through your mind. It means treatment AGAIN, scans AGAIN, doctors and hospitals AGAIN. It means back to the websites that give some good advice and sometimes not so good advice. It means doing research on your new cancer and that can mean reading some very scary information that you don’t necessarily want to know.
And, what about the care giver?
It means preparing for another round of “life-giving.” You’re a pro at it now. Hopefully you’ve learned to pace yourself, although this time around it may mean a different tempo and it may mean a different outcome.
Think back to your first attempt at this task. You didn’t think you could get through it, but you did. You learned how to best take care of your loved one. You learned to be an advocate. You learned a new vocabulary. You learned a new way to show your love.
You’re a care giver AGAIN….there’s no one better at this, than you.
July 24, 2013 @ 9:51 pm
Even though it’s been ten years since my husband was diagnosed with cancer, the fear that it will return never really goes away (for both of us). Every little stumble sends the imagination into high gear.
July 24, 2013 @ 5:52 pm
Being the patient and knowing that it affects your caregiver(s) and other family members and friends, the first feelings are being incredibly thankful and grateful and tearfully appreciative. Then there also the guilt for affecting those you love in such a horrible way. None of us choose it, but we all just wish it never came or never came back and would just go away. We put on our “fight” and get things done. We patients would be nowhere without you our caregivers. Oh, the tears are coming again…
July 24, 2013 @ 4:50 pm
I’ve been thrown back into that arena a few times since Neil died. No matter how shocking the news is, no matter what I felt, as a caregiver, I just put those boots back on and went on the attack head first!
And then I came here…. for love, support and strength because I new I had an army to help me through it.
I know others aren’t so lucky….