General Population

Hi my friends! One thing about cancer is that it has a way of making you feel cut off from the rest of the world. You may be responding to a side effect of chemo or radiation, or the disease itself has taken your emotions for a spin. In either case, cancer can absorb things in your life that you never thought it would. Let's just say that in treatment for lymphoma. You are aware that the disease has worked its way into a great number of your lymphnodes. Cancer patients rarely feel pain from the actually disease. You may of sorness in the joints from certain chemo drugs, you may feel week from the strange cocktail that they give that it designed to target anything that moves. Like in the case of white blood cells, and hair follicles. Some medicines are much like using a chemical shotgun to clear ants off of the the kitchen table. Not only does it effect the cancer cells, it may also be killing other cells that are crucial to your health. It's a delicate balance my brothers and sisters, but your docs and certainly your nurses are well aware of this trade off. During your treatment you may recieve a white cell booster to rebuild the cells that help to ward off infection. This booster will aid your body in the production of new white blood cells, but in the process you may feel some moderate to severe bone pain, much like a headache, but in all of your major joints. Your doctor may prescribe a narcotic pain reliever to combat these aches, but follow the instructions on the bottle and take it exactly as it's prescribed! Much of the chemo experience can be likened to serving time in a comfortable jail. You sit through the course of your treatment, do your time and occasionaly someone will give you something you can use to make your time pass pleasantly. Like water! Always hydrate before, during and after a cycle, keep your nutrition up and don't let yourself fall into the rabbit hole. That is a place that is hard to climb out of. That is how I referred to the times when I felt too cruddy to eat and drink, and once you go there, it's hard to get out. Everyone has different experiences, but the goal is the same, to free ourselves of the sickness that is holding us captive. So eat, drink, sleep and pray my friends! The stuff that you are going through is only temporary. You will feel good again. You can do it!

Until next time,

God Loves You and so do I.

God bless you all!