Monday, January 20, 2020
Today started with two very different phone calls. I have written before about how much I dislike everybody and their neighbor telling me about the “secret cancer cure” they, or a friend, know about. If your vitamin or herb cured cancer it would not be a secret. I have been sent information on 15 different substances that are supposed to reduce inflammation and been told if I reduce my inflammation, my cancer will go away. I am not taking 15 supplements. Can you imagine the possible interactions?
This morning a friend called me to find out if I wanted to follow-up with a woman she had mentioned to me before that used to work with the Cancer Centers of America. My friend told me this woman had developed diets for different types of cancer. I do believe diet can affect the progress of cancer and how you react to treatment and I have discussed this with my doctor who is a specialist in the type of cancer I have.
There are more than 100 types of cancer and each one has different symptoms and treatments. There are millions of people with cancer and we will all respond differently to the same treatment. I do not know what this woman did at Cancer Centers of America or what knowledge she has of ovarian cancer. I told my friend I was not interested, and she seemed surprised. I know she means well, so I told her I keep getting conflicting information from people and was continuing along my already chosen treatment plan.
Half an hour later, I received a call from a friend who went through cancer treatment two years ago and has recovered. This friend had been put on hospice and was so close to dying her family flew out to say goodbye. I have not talked to this friend for probably three years. Somehow or other the Facebook algorithm put a post she wrote about being better at the top of my feed last week and I reached out to her.
My friend had a completely different type and experience with her cancer than I did. I was sick long before I was diagnosed; she got sick a few weeks before her diagnosis. I have not been given an expiration date yet; I was told some people live for a few years on my current treatment plan. My friend was told she had a month to live. I live with my significant other and seven-year-old; she lives alone.
It did not matter that our journeys are so different, we understand each other. We spoke on the phone for an hour and I found it uplifting. My friend told me of the people she barely knew who visited her in hospice. She would wake up from the pain medications with people praying for her in her room. She did, of course, appreciate the prayers, but felt awkward because she had met the person once or twice at a networking event. I only had one friend visit me when I was hospitalized with complications last year and that was because she would not take no for an answer. I would have been content with zero visitors.
My friend asked me if I was attending any support groups and I told her no. I feel like I am dealing well with my prognosis and do not have a desire to talk about cancer. Denial is still my best friend. My friend lives alone and her family is not local, so she felt very alone throughout her cancer journey. I like to be alone and think I would be fine if I was alone through my journey, but I have family here and cannot be sure.
My friend told me how beneficial her support group was and asked me to consider attending when they start back up again. I promised her I would attend once to test it out because I do not think it will benefit me much. I will go and, at the very least, I will get to see my friend. I will try it because my friend has been where I am and found this beneficial. I am still not trying 15 different herbs and vitamins.
My piece of advice to you is to guard your boundaries. My friend may have been offended when I told her I was not interested in meeting her guru. So be it. I am guarding the time I have left to use as I choose.
Until next time,
Susanne
Please check out my GoFundMe page.
Today started with two very different phone calls. I have written before about how much I dislike everybody and their neighbor telling me about the “secret cancer cure” they, or a friend, know about. If your vitamin or herb cured cancer it would not be a secret. I have been sent information on 15 different substances that are supposed to reduce inflammation and been told if I reduce my inflammation, my cancer will go away. I am not taking 15 supplements. Can you imagine the possible interactions?
This morning a friend called me to find out if I wanted to follow-up with a woman she had mentioned to me before that used to work with the Cancer Centers of America. My friend told me this woman had developed diets for different types of cancer. I do believe diet can affect the progress of cancer and how you react to treatment and I have discussed this with my doctor who is a specialist in the type of cancer I have.
There are more than 100 types of cancer and each one has different symptoms and treatments. There are millions of people with cancer and we will all respond differently to the same treatment. I do not know what this woman did at Cancer Centers of America or what knowledge she has of ovarian cancer. I told my friend I was not interested, and she seemed surprised. I know she means well, so I told her I keep getting conflicting information from people and was continuing along my already chosen treatment plan.
Half an hour later, I received a call from a friend who went through cancer treatment two years ago and has recovered. This friend had been put on hospice and was so close to dying her family flew out to say goodbye. I have not talked to this friend for probably three years. Somehow or other the Facebook algorithm put a post she wrote about being better at the top of my feed last week and I reached out to her.
My friend had a completely different type and experience with her cancer than I did. I was sick long before I was diagnosed; she got sick a few weeks before her diagnosis. I have not been given an expiration date yet; I was told some people live for a few years on my current treatment plan. My friend was told she had a month to live. I live with my significant other and seven-year-old; she lives alone.
It did not matter that our journeys are so different, we understand each other. We spoke on the phone for an hour and I found it uplifting. My friend told me of the people she barely knew who visited her in hospice. She would wake up from the pain medications with people praying for her in her room. She did, of course, appreciate the prayers, but felt awkward because she had met the person once or twice at a networking event. I only had one friend visit me when I was hospitalized with complications last year and that was because she would not take no for an answer. I would have been content with zero visitors.
My friend asked me if I was attending any support groups and I told her no. I feel like I am dealing well with my prognosis and do not have a desire to talk about cancer. Denial is still my best friend. My friend lives alone and her family is not local, so she felt very alone throughout her cancer journey. I like to be alone and think I would be fine if I was alone through my journey, but I have family here and cannot be sure.
My friend told me how beneficial her support group was and asked me to consider attending when they start back up again. I promised her I would attend once to test it out because I do not think it will benefit me much. I will go and, at the very least, I will get to see my friend. I will try it because my friend has been where I am and found this beneficial. I am still not trying 15 different herbs and vitamins.
My piece of advice to you is to guard your boundaries. My friend may have been offended when I told her I was not interested in meeting her guru. So be it. I am guarding the time I have left to use as I choose.
Until next time,
Susanne
Please check out my GoFundMe page.