The Harm Of Cancer

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



So, take and use thy work: 
amend what flaws may lurk,
What strain o' the stuff, 
what warpings past the aim!
My times be in Thy hand! 
perfect the cup as planned!
Let age approve of youth,
 and death complete the same!

--Robert Browning

Sometimes, I think people don't realize what it entails to have cancer. The way we went in is not the same way we came out. I'm not speaking of the emotional or mental state. I'm speaking of the physical. All the chemotherapy and radiation does a lot of harm. It may shrink or get rid of the cancer, but it also harms other parts of our bodies in the long term. 

One could finish the treatment, but it will take months, if not years, for the true extent of the damage done to our bodies to present itself. Take my veins, for instance, even after all these years, it's still a problem to draw blood or put in an I.V. drop. You can't even see my veins!

Adapting to our new lifestyles can be both challenging and a blessing at the same time. How? Well, some changes are actually a good thing, because they have been needed for years to happen. It may take a trial to bring them into fruition. When we resist the changes, life happens and we are forced into them by all the pitfalls we encounter. Then we wonder to ourselves, why didn't we do this years ago? Well, we are a stubborn bunch, us humans.

Knowing and becoming aware of our bodies is the most important part. We need to listen to what it is trying to say. Are you feeling tired? Take a nap or lay down for a few minutes and close your eyes. Have you been having a symptom that hasn't gone away? Make an appointment and have it checked out.

We survivors cannot play with our health. Preventive care is vital to our success rate. We want to live a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle. We can only do that by staying atop our cancers. We may be done with treatment and in remission, but now, the real battle begins. So what are we going to do? We are going to live our life purposely and fulfilling, because the quality of life is very important to us. 

Have a blessed day everyone.