found this while blog hopping just now- nicely written by a mom of 2 suffering from mesothelioma
This are my recaps of 2005......
January: I never realized what was coming a head this year. My life changed in an instant.
February: I found out I had Mesothelioma. It's a rare cancer caused by Asbestos. I flew to
Singapore for my PET Scan. Came back and started off with 6 rounds of my chemotherapy.
March-April-May-June-July: I was in and out of the hospital doing my chemotherapy. Mid July flew to Singapore for PET Scan and Sydney for 2nd Opinion.
End July - August: My family and I flew to Sydney. My life changed. August 2nd: I went through a radical major surgery called "pleuropneumonectomy" where they took out my right lung, right pleura, right diaphragm and lining of the heart. I am now left with one lung. I am still breathing and will keep on breathing till my last breath.
This is my fate and I have accepted it with an open heart. I am not afraid of my fate. There is always a reason for everything that happens in our lives. We move on and learn through our past. We learn to forgive and accept the past. We learn about how our life is precious. We learn to be more spiritual and being closer to ALLAH. We have learn to fight and I shall keep on fighting.
September: I was recuperating from the major surgery and preparing my self for the radiotherapy by the end of the month. I didn't see my husband for a month! Another challenge ALLAH gave me which involves my whole family-parents-siblings. It was very hard for me to handle especially when I just had a major operation and recuperating from it.
October: I went through 25 rounds of radiotherapy. My husband came and visit me over the weekends. (Not every week though. This is not K.L-JB). Then, 30th October I flew back home 3 days before Hari Raya. I was so desperately wanting to go back home.
November: I celebrated Hari Raya with my family and relatives. This year Hari Raya meant a lot to me and my family. We also trade in our 4WD for an MPV so that we have more comfort. I also had shinles.
December: I'm on remission since then. I go for my medical check up every month. My son had a very bad case of food poisoning. My daughter and husband was infected with the same virus which caused my son's food poisoning.
Side effects after surgery: Your body feels totally alien/different. The numbness and sudden off and on sharp pain caused by the nerves being cut stays on. You wonder about your body more. The anxiety somehow is still there from time to time. Your mind wonders but you try and think positive and pray for the best. You tend to be a bit forgetful at time due to all the medication you've been taking for the past 10 months.
I try to maintain a healthy living and try not to give up even though my mind tends to wonder which is common for every one who have had cancer and goes through major surgery and now on remission.
What we need to keep on surviving: Happy thoughts, laughter, being happy, being positive, surrounded by positive vibes, encouragement, self pampering when needed, stress-free environment, help us live a normal life (or almost normal for people like me), always being surrounded by family and friends and many more which can help us heal ourselves better.
