Trying to Stay Positive with Lung Cancer
I was just discharged yesterday from CTCA and now I am back again. I was feeling OK this morning and as the day went on I felt more winded, my back was killing me and my stomach hurt. My best friend Christine came into town today to hang with me through the week. We ran a couple of errands today and then by the time I got home I was starting to feel a little sick. I was running a slight fever. I called the care manager and decided it was better to be safe and go back to CTCA to get checked out. They did some xrays and tests and found that I may have the start of a pneumonia (thank goodness I came in) and I am pretty constipated from all of the pain killers.
Lately, I have been feeling more and more sad. I start thinking of all the things that I want to do and I just can’t do them. I really miss yoga and pilates. I miss being able to travel freely. I am in pain every second of the day and it makes it difficult when thinking of planning a trip. I miss being able to just go on a walk. I have been pushing to get into rehab, but things keep getting in the way. Hopefully now that the lung issue is resolved I will be able to finally start physical and occupational therapy. I am definitely the type of person that needs to be physically active to keep a sane mind.
I am worried and anxious for the petscan. I think I have the petscan next week. This will tell if the cancer is regressing or not. My hair is falling out everywhere and is very obvious now. I didn’t want to cut it until I knew if I was staying on the taxotere or not. I really hope this chemo is working. I am afraid that I will get to a point where we will run out of options. When I look at myself in the mirror, I just see a person who is sick. My skin is so sallow and pale from not being in the sunlight, my hair is thin and stringy, and my body is definitely not the same as it use to be. When I look back at some of the earlier photos of being hospitalized, I feel like I still looked healthy and vibrant. I don’t think there is any makeup that can help me now.
I haven’t been able to sleep normal hours again. I have gone back to my old habit of shopping online in the middle of the night.
We value and respect the experiences of all of our HERWriters, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.
Add a Comment3 Comments
Melissa -- Hang in there and keep believing in miracles.
October 6, 2009 - 10:31amThis Comment
Melissa - Good for you for listening to your intuition and going back to the hospital. And good for you too for writing about what you're experiencing and feeling. I hope that just being able to have a safe place where you can share what you're going through with others is of comfort to you. Know that people do care about you and what you're going through. Please keep us updated on your situation, and I hope you will continue to write to us. Take good care, Pat
October 6, 2009 - 6:11pmMelissa: I have not missed one of your posts now for several months. I can tell by your writing that you are a very strong women and a fighter, just keep fighting and you will kick it into remission. I'm not a religious person but I promise you I am sending you all of my positive thoughts and energy every day. Hang in there my friend,
Kelley
October 10, 2009 - 3:04pm