Forum Discussion
kmakm
7 years agoMember
How to prioritise self care?
So self care is the mantra in survivorship right?
I need to do gym three times a week for the weight bearing exercises to stave off the bone damage of Letrozole. Haven't managed to work that into my schedule since early last December.
On the days when I'm not at the gym I have to walk because minimum of 30 mins a day exercise, preferably an hour.
I have to bust stress, of which I have an excess. So I'm starting a yoga class on Saturday morning. Can't use food and booze to stress bust anymore.
I have to sort out my head, get rid of the depression, manage the anxiety, so it's a psychologist appointment every two or three weeks. She wants me to journal. I struggle to find the time. She also wants me to spend 30 minutes a day doing something I enjoy, just for me.
I saw my dietician today about my failure to knuckle down and lose weight. My willpower is rubbish and as you know, it's like rolling a boulder up a hill trying to lose weight in menopause on an AI. Have to eat a low sat fat diet because of the Letrozole cholesterol issues. I have to cook most days of the week for a vegetarian, three meat-eating teenagers and a Type 2 diabetes octogenarian.
There's also the assorted ongoing medical appointments that seem to roll around with remarkable frequency.
This afternoon on my way home from the dietician in Town, I received a phone call from my son saying my daughter was vomiting, a lot. She was already home with extreme tiredness and what she described as stress from the overwhelming amount of schoolwork she has (Yr 10). Of course it could be just that, or glandular fever, but my mind goes straight to cancer. Lymphoma probably...
I also get an email from school about my nephew (Yr 8) He's got yet another detention after being given several warnings to rein in his classroom behaviour. The teacher is "beginning to wonder if he has impulse control issues".
My son, starting uni next week, has done nothing whatsoever about learning to drive or getting a job and has zero money. How does he think he is going to pay for his day to day uni life? He's been sitting in his room playing computer games and watching anime since November. From the beginning of January I've made him cook dinner once a week.
My niece continues to be the most difficult of them all. Almost continually rude, refuses simple requests, sulky, terrible sleep issues & much more.
So to properly deal with each one of those issues takes buckets of time and buckets of money. GP appointments, specialist child psychologists and who knows what else. About to take vomiting daughter to the doctor now.
My self care, if done properly, would take buckets of time and buckets of money.
There are no buckets here. If there's a choice I have to prioritise the kids. Any prioritising of myself is already accompanied by massive guilt.
I am really struggling to arrange my survivorship life. And that's even before I start trying to find and then hopefully get a job. How does everyone do this? How do I recover fully and lead a healthier, engaged life in survivorship, and take care of everyone else, have a satisfying relationship with my partner, a job, maintain contact with my friends, keep fit, lose weight, not be stressed and feel OKish about everything? Is it actually possible to do at all?
Yours from the House of Bad Behaviour and Vomit, K
I need to do gym three times a week for the weight bearing exercises to stave off the bone damage of Letrozole. Haven't managed to work that into my schedule since early last December.
On the days when I'm not at the gym I have to walk because minimum of 30 mins a day exercise, preferably an hour.
I have to bust stress, of which I have an excess. So I'm starting a yoga class on Saturday morning. Can't use food and booze to stress bust anymore.
I have to sort out my head, get rid of the depression, manage the anxiety, so it's a psychologist appointment every two or three weeks. She wants me to journal. I struggle to find the time. She also wants me to spend 30 minutes a day doing something I enjoy, just for me.
I saw my dietician today about my failure to knuckle down and lose weight. My willpower is rubbish and as you know, it's like rolling a boulder up a hill trying to lose weight in menopause on an AI. Have to eat a low sat fat diet because of the Letrozole cholesterol issues. I have to cook most days of the week for a vegetarian, three meat-eating teenagers and a Type 2 diabetes octogenarian.
There's also the assorted ongoing medical appointments that seem to roll around with remarkable frequency.
This afternoon on my way home from the dietician in Town, I received a phone call from my son saying my daughter was vomiting, a lot. She was already home with extreme tiredness and what she described as stress from the overwhelming amount of schoolwork she has (Yr 10). Of course it could be just that, or glandular fever, but my mind goes straight to cancer. Lymphoma probably...
I also get an email from school about my nephew (Yr 8) He's got yet another detention after being given several warnings to rein in his classroom behaviour. The teacher is "beginning to wonder if he has impulse control issues".
My son, starting uni next week, has done nothing whatsoever about learning to drive or getting a job and has zero money. How does he think he is going to pay for his day to day uni life? He's been sitting in his room playing computer games and watching anime since November. From the beginning of January I've made him cook dinner once a week.
My niece continues to be the most difficult of them all. Almost continually rude, refuses simple requests, sulky, terrible sleep issues & much more.
So to properly deal with each one of those issues takes buckets of time and buckets of money. GP appointments, specialist child psychologists and who knows what else. About to take vomiting daughter to the doctor now.
My self care, if done properly, would take buckets of time and buckets of money.
There are no buckets here. If there's a choice I have to prioritise the kids. Any prioritising of myself is already accompanied by massive guilt.
I am really struggling to arrange my survivorship life. And that's even before I start trying to find and then hopefully get a job. How does everyone do this? How do I recover fully and lead a healthier, engaged life in survivorship, and take care of everyone else, have a satisfying relationship with my partner, a job, maintain contact with my friends, keep fit, lose weight, not be stressed and feel OKish about everything? Is it actually possible to do at all?
Yours from the House of Bad Behaviour and Vomit, K
136 Replies
- kmakmMemberMost excellent analogy @AllyJay. My meniscus is indeed bulging. And I'm living in fear of the next drop. I'll try to lower the level in the glass because the next drop is inevitable.
However I do think I have failed in abundance! K xox - kmakmMemberExactly @Sister, how do I live now? I fear drifting back into what I was doing before. But before what?? 'Normal' for me was such a long time ago, and as we know having cancer yourself changes so much about you and your life. I've got all this new life stuff going on, and to ignore what's happened to me is pointless, because it can't be ignored, and stupid, because if nothing else we are the sum of our experiences. I don't want cancer to define me, but I don't want the experience to go to waste, kind of. I want to fold it into me, make it a part of me, to salvage something from the experience. I have to TRY to make a silk purse out of the sow's ear that life's delivered me. How indeed...
OMG I totally get the week to make the enquiry & booking thing. I just can't face that stuff to order anymore! I sort of have to work up to it. It's ridiculous! What is THAT about?!
I love your last paragraph. I have screenshotted it and filed for future reference. Mind you, I think 10,000 failures from this point would kill me. We've gotta have a win at some point, don't we?! NED is a good place to start. I hope we can build from here. And that you can get your click back. K xox - kmakmMember@Artferret Paint swatches on the walls sounds fun. Do post a pic of your 'artwork'! Are you thinking bold, or neutral? Pastel, earthy, moody, fresh?!
- kmakmMemberI hope things improve soon for you @"Kiwi Angel". Maybe as the year since chemo rolls round some of these effects might resolve. My oncologist said it takes a year to get back to recover fully from TC. I hope so. K xox
- kmakmMember@primek Thanks for posting that. I saw it yonks ago but had completely forgotten about it. Wise words indeed.
Raelene's awesome eh? I met her a couple of times last year; such a friendly, kind and cool chick. Love her work. K xox - kmakmMemberThanks @arpie. A grown up sleepover... what's that?! ;)
- arpieMemberAs we tell everyone else, @kmakm ... deep breaths, one foot in front of the other, one day at a time. Great that you were able to see your psych and get some strategies with the kids.
I am so glad the family meeting went as well as it could - and hope the kids improve on their attitude/behaviour. I hope you do get out on “date nights” and Enjoy some ‘adult’ behaviour again.... book a motel for your own own ‘sleep over’! ;)
@Sister - I haven't been able to click my fingers for months & I used to be able to do a real cracking one! - Patti_JMemberHardest thing: ask for help!
- primekMemberI think we honestly have to just be kind to oneself. Took me a while to find this but it certainly helped me stop pushing so hard in regards to exercise which either left me exhausted or feeling guilty for not flogging myself.
https://youtu.be/HlFotiP5D0I - Kiwi_AngelMemberThe new “normal” is a struggle isn’t it @kmakm even without all the additional shit life throws at u. I struggle with the lack of sleep which effects my ability to exercise, my foggy brain, my bloated belly and the fact I now have more fat round my waist than I have ever had in my life (I refer to myself as a neutered bitch). My energy and strength are all over the place - one day I almost feel like my old self and then the next day I feel like a rag doll. I’m constantly frustrated with myself :(