This may sound strange for those who haven’t lived through a cancer diagnosis, but for those who have, the current covid crisis is probably bringing up some familiar feelings.
For example, right from the very beginning we watched as each county became infected, but did we really think it’d happen to us? Does anyone ever expect to be diagnosed with cancer? No, it’s always something that happens to other people.
This pandemic has turned our worlds upsidown, things we took for granted have been taken away or suspended indefinitely. I’m not talking about people worrying they will get sick or die. I’m talking about our freedom, our jobs, our ability to pay the rent, our alone time, our social time, it all gone and the future is no longer something we can plan for and it’s unsettling.
A cancer diagnosis is the same. The threat of an uncertain future, the daunting thought of months of chemo, the fear anyone coughs near you!!
In total I completed 5 months of chemo and it really bashes you about. My chemo was every Monday. With chemo you are given a cocktail of other drugs including steroids to minimize your symptoms and to keeps you going so Tuesdays I always felt fine. Wednesday and Thursdays I’d get tired and by the weenend I’d be tired and rundown only to start it all over again Monday! This it very much how I imagine the next few months is going to feel like! Hahaha.. but every week we will get up and do it all again because that’s what we have to do. We will learn to not stress over the little things, that there are sometimes more important things in life than stacking the dishwasher or folding washing. We will appreciate the moments where we really enjoy time with our families. Our parenting standard may slip a little or we may get better at setting a routine.
Whatever happens, we will come out the other side and the feeling of freedom will be euphoric. Life will feel new again and we will take more time to appreciate what we have. We will make plans to go away, seeing something new, socialize, do whatever we want to do!
Try and structure your day and don’t get caught up in the monotony. Reach out to friends and family. Take up a new hobby, read more, cook things you’ve always wanted to try, make a photo book…… the list goes on