Work And Treatment

                                                                       Everyday is a brand new day,
                                                                       everyday is a journey.



The thing that goes the farthest
Toward making life worth while,
That costs the least, and does the most,
Is just a pleasant smile.
That smile that bubbles from a heart
That loves its fellow men
Will drive away the cloud of gloom
And coax the sun again.

--Anonymous.

I was thinking the other day, how difficult it is becoming to be 
sick chronically and still be able to work. It's becoming more and more difficult to balance the two. As understanding and compassionate as the average workplace claims to be, their long term disability and policies take away from the financial side by reducing the percentage we will receive to almost half our income. 

Business is business and we should never confuse ourselves into thinking that money doesn't talk. No matter how compassionate they may seem, money will always win out. There is the exception to the rule, especially if they are a small family run business. Fmla alone is so full of red tape, we want to give up before we even begin. 

I think about these things, because I need to prepare financially for another re-occurrence. It makes no difference whether it happens or not. Preparation is the key.

The last re-occurrence, I thought I was well prepared for both financially and mentally. I set aside a month's worth of money thinking it would serve me until FMLA actually kicked in with approval. My pantry was well stocked with food as well as with bare necessities like toilet paper, shampoo, paper towels and so on. I was wrong. 

In the past, it normally took about a month for the paperwork to go through and my short term/long term disability from work to kick in. This time, it took nearly over six weeks. Those two weeks that I wasn't prepared for, involved my having to make prioritized decisions on what is more important to be paid first. Not a pretty sight.

The same goes for the mental side of it. Having had 4 re-occurrences, I told myself there's nothing that I could not handle. I've been there and I've done that. Boy, was I wrong! I never in my life thought that radiation would be so difficult for me to endure mentally. 

This just proves that we can never be too prepared for our illnesses to come back. Thoughts such as this are always on my mind. I'm always looking for a better solution, a perfect balance between this disease and my lifestyle. We can only improve from each treatment, each experience. 

Have a blessed day everyone.