Posted by Tabitha on July 19, 2012, at 11:42:06
In reply to Re: I miss the good old days » Tabitha, posted by Dinah on July 18, 2012, at 18:29:46
Hi Dinah. Yes my therapist has been a help. I was stuck and ended up having some breakthroughs in my personal growth. She said therapy hadn't gotten me there but the cancer would, and I had to admit she was right. It helped me find the "gifts of cancer" like heightened appreciation for life, better sense of priorities, more connection with spirituality. Or as she put it, it helped me get to the Joy Place. So I put terminating on the back burner for now. She still gives me some flaky advice too!
Dinah you have a lot of endurance yourself. You have chugged along and maintained a job, marriage, and motherhood while carrying a big heavy load of frequent mental distress. It's not easy!
Overall I'm doing pretty well. I finally bounced back from the initial side effects of chemo round #1. This thing has kind of sped up my mood cycles. I used to be down for days at a time, then up. Now I go through the whole cycle every single day. In a way it's better, if I'm having a bad couple hours I know that I'll probably have a good couple hours soon. Seems if I'm good in the morning I deteriorate as the day goes on, and vice versa.
Yes I have a decent support network at this point. It's small but adequate. You really only need a few people to rely on. What's more I'm a married lady now. We eloped last weekend. :-)
> I was wondering how you were doing, and thinking of you. Is your therapist any help to you now?
>
> I never think of strength in times of trial. I'm more likely to think of carrying something heavy, where you can't possibly carry it one more foot. Yet you do, because, really, you have no choice. I don't think of that as strength so much as endurance. I am sometimes surprised to find myself managing to carry on, and I'm guessing you'll find yourself surprised many times by the steps you're able to take.
>
> It sounds as if you've put together a support network. Don't be afraid to lean on it as much as you need (including Babble).
poster:Tabitha
thread:1021646
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20120527/msgs/1021775.html