Bad Habits
Allow me to apologise! Apart from a brief update in November this blog has seen very little action. I appreciate the kind messages of concern but truth be told I have found it difficult to sumise my thoughts appropriate for a post. Unpredictable as ever, it appears that now is the time for me to share my latest news and views.(The time is currently seventeen minutes past midnight which means today is Christmas Eve - yay!)
I have formed a bad habit.
One which has been causing me a few problems. You see - having cancer startles people. Wether it be old friends, new friends, would-be friends or mere strangers, when they discover I have had cancer they simply looked shocked and awkward. Cancer does not define me but it does have a huge impact on everyday life which means it lends itself to common conversation. Marathon training, career plans, that oh so dreaded question: 'when will you and the Funny Boy have babies' always lead back to what my family and I had to endure last year. This conversation topic doesn't bother me. I find it cathartic and hopeful that someone might be more cautious in their own health. That being said, I have developed a bad habit of trying to ease the shock and minimise the awkwardness by changing the subject through assuring whomever I am speaking with that 'I am one of the lucky ones'. Whenever I sense sympathy I immediately go into 'positive mode'.
At the end of September I found myself beginning to feel overwhelmed by the simplest of tasks. The basic question of 'what do you want for your tea?' On some occasions was simply too difficult to fathom and reduced me to tears. Initially I put this down to the menopause. Work became a chore: concentration was lacking and enthusiasm was gone. My Sunday night dread appeared on the eve of every work day. Away from the office I would find myself avoiding social situations, opting to stay at home, preferably with the dog alone. I began experiencing panic attacks. At this point I felt more vulnerable than ever before. My bad habit of 'being positive and being one of the lucky ones' clouded my judgement. In my head I told myself that I was being ridiculous: if you can get through cancer, you can get through this. I simply told myself to get over it.
But I was wrong. It wasn't until October I took myself to Maggie's. This is where my bad habit began to unfold. By constantly being positive I wasn't allowing myself to really feel the trauma or emotions cancer brings. After a great deal of support from Maggie's I found the confidence to challenge my bad habit and visit my GP. Following a short stint on sick leave I have now returned to work. Thankfully, I do not feel as vulnerable as I did in September but I am in a challenging place. As I strive to move forward with all aspects of my life I am facing the unfair truth that old habits die hard.
Lucky to survive? Yes! Lucky to have been dealt a lethal hand? Not so much. It is not something I will ever 'get over' but that's ok. In time I will come to terms with it and in the meantime it is ok to say it as it is...
Cancer is a bitch! #FUCancer