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wndsrfn's avatar
wndsrfn
Member
12 years ago

Doable

Before I start this blog - I am not meaning in anyway to harm, make light of or questions anyone else's definition of doable. I am just verbalising my response to how I see it. DOABLE - means a lot to a lot of people Examples : this is doable, you can others have done it so it's doable, once it's done you can say you did it (doable). It strikes me as the word doable is always a past tense. Never present. 'Come on it's doable!' Doable seems to need that reflection, past moment in time to say 'yes it was doable' and I did it. Doable doesn't describe the fears, the anxiety, for me the new adventures called panic attacks, the changing scene of treatment, the personal choices, the sacrifices from family, friends and self. As well as the unknown 'doable' when treatment stops and the parallel life demonises while we're expected to pick up our doable life even though dramatically changed from this experience both physically and mentally. So I challenge you when you hear someone anywhere say that was doable. Take a moment and see if you can think from their footsteps - was the doable the same or different to yours.

2 Replies

  • Robyn_W's avatar
    Robyn_W
    Member
    12 years ago
    The first time I saw the word doable,was on a blog just before my surgery.I can actually remember it,because I remember thinking," that's better than I thought".I was one of those people that assumed that chemo would be absolutely horrific.For me,it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be,and so this is how I define the word doable: Its something that is not as bad as you first thought,and can be managed reasonably well:)Of course not a walk in the park.Cheers xoxRobyn
  • Janet_Plummer's avatar
    Janet_Plummer
    Member
    12 years ago

    I think wndsrfn that chemo is not seen as such a dramatic and horrendous treatment as it was in the past. This is probably due in large part to the availability of drugs to control the associated nausea which means most people on chemo don't lose a lot of weight and look as terribly sick as they might have in the past.

    When I found out I had to have chemo I was horrified of course but I thought the one good thing that might come out of it was that I would lose the stubborn 3kg that I never seem to be able to shed. Didn't happen. Also cancers are being detected earlier so some of us have shorter periods of time on it and many of us get through the other side and go back to normal life relatively unscathed.

    That's not say of course that chemo isn't a rough road. Yes it's doable whatever that means. Anything is doable if you have no choice but to do it. Chemo is a horrible and harsh (and necessary) treatment that takes a huge toll on us physically, mentally and emotionally. I was only on it for 3 months but it was the worst 3 months of my life for sure. I am okay now but taken it's toll on me - early menopause and all that goes with that plus, I believe, an impaired memory, not to mention annoyingly frizzy hair.

    You're right it shouldn't be downplayed. Anyone who is going through chemo needs all the help and support they can get. It is doable but it's no walk in the park.