The Emotions of the week that was.
Well what a challenging week this as been.
From my previous post I mentioned depression and how a struggle that has been for me these last fews weeks. Compounded by increasing work loads and also construction work occuring 8 (plus) hours a day in our work area. My job is emotionally exhausting at times supporting people with eduring mental illness and all the challenges that brings.
However this week also saw the devasting news of another beautiful soul taken by breast cancer. I met this young lady during my treatment having been diagnosed with metastatic cancer 10 years after her initial treatment. She was terrified of treatment having had complication first time round, she was scared also what would happen...and myself and another bc sister supported her on the days we shared in that chemo room. At the same time it evoked fears in me of my own bc. She had done it all. She had a bilateral mastectomy. She was fit and thin. She was raising her children into teenage years. Her Drs were so shocked hers had returned. I was devastated to hear of her sudden death this week at the age of 40. She had been well when last seen a few weeks ago. What happened I don't know and probably never will. I was so hopeful she would be one of the ladies 10 plus years with mets and well. I hoped that better treatment was coming up for her. But it wasn't to be.
We can't predict the individual person's course of disease.
This week also saw the loss of a work colleague who left work but 3 weeks ago and has passed due to brain cancer.
At times I feel strong and well and cured. At others I worry about my aches and pains being disease progression. I worry for my family.
I feel at times we are soldiers on a war path being picked off one by one.
Then I take stock and am grateful for current treatments and thankful I am still here and currently am well and getting stronger.
Then weirdly I get a phone call this week that my nipple reconstruction date has been set. 2.5 years since I lost my nipples due to surgery . On one hand I'm excited and on another it feels so trivial against the struggles of others. It will be nice to have all the surgery part completed and close a chapter on this loss.
From my previous post I mentioned depression and how a struggle that has been for me these last fews weeks. Compounded by increasing work loads and also construction work occuring 8 (plus) hours a day in our work area. My job is emotionally exhausting at times supporting people with eduring mental illness and all the challenges that brings.
However this week also saw the devasting news of another beautiful soul taken by breast cancer. I met this young lady during my treatment having been diagnosed with metastatic cancer 10 years after her initial treatment. She was terrified of treatment having had complication first time round, she was scared also what would happen...and myself and another bc sister supported her on the days we shared in that chemo room. At the same time it evoked fears in me of my own bc. She had done it all. She had a bilateral mastectomy. She was fit and thin. She was raising her children into teenage years. Her Drs were so shocked hers had returned. I was devastated to hear of her sudden death this week at the age of 40. She had been well when last seen a few weeks ago. What happened I don't know and probably never will. I was so hopeful she would be one of the ladies 10 plus years with mets and well. I hoped that better treatment was coming up for her. But it wasn't to be.
We can't predict the individual person's course of disease.
This week also saw the loss of a work colleague who left work but 3 weeks ago and has passed due to brain cancer.
At times I feel strong and well and cured. At others I worry about my aches and pains being disease progression. I worry for my family.
I feel at times we are soldiers on a war path being picked off one by one.
Then I take stock and am grateful for current treatments and thankful I am still here and currently am well and getting stronger.
Then weirdly I get a phone call this week that my nipple reconstruction date has been set. 2.5 years since I lost my nipples due to surgery . On one hand I'm excited and on another it feels so trivial against the struggles of others. It will be nice to have all the surgery part completed and close a chapter on this loss.
