Life With Cancer

Finding out that anything is wrong with you is always devastating. The greatest thing about human beings though is that we can adapt to almost any situation. 

Unfortunately, I know which one I'm looking more like these days...

For me, the secret to coping is routine. I always tried to maintain a schedule through school and university to keep me focussed and on track. The same applies to life with cancer, only this time with smaller tasks.

These tasks greatly vary in importance. For example, I visit the hospital every Tuesday lunchtime for weekly blood tests and to get my PICC line dressing changed. Another is that I make a hot Ribena before injecting myself with G-CSF. 

So much truth here, but routine is routine, right?

Coping with the devastation is just one part of cancer. There are many different aspects which change daily life too, especially with a compromised immune system caused by chemotherapy.

I must forever be careful of germs, and they lurk everywhere, especially where you find large amounts of people. Doctors advise avoiding public transport, cinemas, theatres, swimming pools and even shopping centres while your white blood counts are very low. In short, they suggest almost total isolation. 

I try to avoid the Underground during peak times.

While I said that humans are brilliant at adapting, I simply can't live happily in isolation. There definitely is a happy medium between total isolation and being stupid. I feel comfortable going out and meeting with friends as long as they are of good health. I feel fine using public transport with a scarf over my face. Everything comes with an aspect of risk, but so far I seem to have escaped with only mild consequences! 

"Penicillin cures, but wine makes people happy." - Alexander Fleming (probably)

It took a while to truly accept that this was happening to me, but you must face whatever challenges come your way, never forgetting that this is only temporary.