Hi Dana - Thanks for sharing your background with us. I've felt from your first post that you would have a lot of good information to share and I really liked the way you used words and language that any woman can relate to.
I can't predict exactly what you will go through, I can only speak from my experience with breast cancer. For me, the fear of recurrence has always been there, but the intensity of that fear has changed with time. I've stuck with the lifestyle changes I made immediately after diagnosis and they're no concern now. Five years into survival was a milestone for me, and when I started getting a lot more comfortable. Today I don't think about it much except when it comes time for my mammogram or there are reminders such as awareness weeks, runs, and so forth. If you're like me you will go through a balancing period over time. Right now there is a lot of information you HAVE to learn to manage your illness and navigate the medical bureaucracy. There's also the equivalent of a whole new language and even sub-languages to learn. This takes time and work, and the time you spend on it is a constant reminder of WHY you're spending time on it. Of course you're sensitive! If you weren't you wouldn't be human. The people who can best relate to what you're going through are other survivors and the caregivers who take on a lot of responsibilities that the patient usually takes on. It's very difficult, if not impossible for others to "get it" so it can help to stick with those who do.
Yes, there was a lot of good information on CML and all forms of blood cancers at the recent American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting. Here's a link to some excellent video reports aimed at empowering patients:
http://www.patientpower.info/ash/
Take care, and we'll talk again in the New Year!
Pat
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Hi Dana - Thanks for sharing your background with us. I've felt from your first post that you would have a lot of good information to share and I really liked the way you used words and language that any woman can relate to.
I can't predict exactly what you will go through, I can only speak from my experience with breast cancer. For me, the fear of recurrence has always been there, but the intensity of that fear has changed with time. I've stuck with the lifestyle changes I made immediately after diagnosis and they're no concern now. Five years into survival was a milestone for me, and when I started getting a lot more comfortable. Today I don't think about it much except when it comes time for my mammogram or there are reminders such as awareness weeks, runs, and so forth. If you're like me you will go through a balancing period over time. Right now there is a lot of information you HAVE to learn to manage your illness and navigate the medical bureaucracy. There's also the equivalent of a whole new language and even sub-languages to learn. This takes time and work, and the time you spend on it is a constant reminder of WHY you're spending time on it. Of course you're sensitive! If you weren't you wouldn't be human. The people who can best relate to what you're going through are other survivors and the caregivers who take on a lot of responsibilities that the patient usually takes on. It's very difficult, if not impossible for others to "get it" so it can help to stick with those who do.
Yes, there was a lot of good information on CML and all forms of blood cancers at the recent American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting. Here's a link to some excellent video reports aimed at empowering patients:
http://www.patientpower.info/ash/
Take care, and we'll talk again in the New Year!
December 22, 2009 - 6:11pmPat
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