Its two and a half years after cancer treatment ended, and I
find I’m still recovering. I wanted to
share these realities so that others might understand more of the process that
one goes through. Maybe if you’re coping
with cancer treatment yourself, you’ll be encouraged to take a breath and
extend grace to yourselfJ And, maybe if you’re an onlooker of someone
elses cancer treatment, you will be able to prepare yourself for the longhaulJ
With my very own superhero |
Our Lord Jesus is faithful through it all. I can look back and see His fingerprints
along the way (even the hard days)… His
grace to endure… His softening of the
difficulites… His demonstration of His love in miraculous and practical ways…
even His reminder from time to time, that I’m not the only one facing a
giant. His gentle reminder to give Him
the glory no matter the journey is a constant lesson.
I imagine that it might seem to folks not living with me,
that I’ve been in a good place physically for quite a while. In reality I’m still recovering. The 2 big physical things for me have been
fatigue and pain.
A year out from
treatment, I was still needing to nap for a hour every day and was out for the
day by just after 7pm. This wasn’t
laziness, it was physical exhaustion. I
share that, because I felt I was being lazy.
Looking back, I had to rest in order to cope with my responsibilities to
my family. Life goes on no matter… I had to homeschool, cook, wash etc. We had to carry on living. This meant that I fell asleep while the family
watched a movie together. I couldn’t go
to the shops for longer than a half an hour.
I had to sleep after I did anything physical… like water the garden. I could also phsyicall cope with little while
homeschooling. It has slowly improved to
the point that now, 2 and half years out from treatment, I am only needing to
lie down a couple of times a week and most of the time can hang in there at
night with the rest of the family. I
anticipate further improvement in the months aheadJ
Rythmic gymnastics has been central in my daughters life and coping |
Its funny because so often I remember responding to people
questions with … ‘I’m almost back to normal’…
“I’m feeling better than I have in ages’. They were all true. I just wasn’t aware of how far I still had to
go. And, from where I’d come… boy was I
soooooo much better.
My son has enjoyed his art lessons over these last years |
I would not change any of the choices I made regarding my
treatment. The reality of cancer
treatment and recovery is that its LONG, SLOW … but DO-ABLE. Amazingly, one is able, with the Lords help, to find the joy of living even when your body is not working quite up to speed. I’m not ‘there’ yet but I’m encouraged with
the progress the Lord has allowed my body.
I also want to acknowledge the many people who have supported and
assisted me and my family. I am unable
to do this alone. Its not easy feeling
so needy for so long. It has been a
humbling time. Thank you Lord for your
many lessons. But, thank you most of all
for the strength and encouragement you are providing day by day.
If you, or anyone you
know, are looking for a physio and Pilates instructor in the Durban area,
please don’t hesitate in contacting me.
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