Riding the Ups and Downs
When you think of your breast cancer experience, it seems like it is a series of ups and downs and just when you are getting comfortable, something happens, changing the course that you have strategically outlined. For example, you are on your next-to-the-last chemotherapy treatment and your doctor tells you that you cannot get the treatment until your blood counts are better. Your immediate reaction is, “No way, I have everything timed out so that when my treatments are over, I'm going on a vacation,” or “I wanted to be done with my chemotherapy treatments before the holidays.” You wonder how not having chemotherapy treatment can be so upsetting. It may temporarily take the wind out of your sails. But in time it all seems to work out and you are back on course. This is just one of the many ups and downs that happen during breast cancer treatment. So be well-prepared, stay on course, expect the unexpected. Learning to ride the waves is your new full-time job.
Fact
Many other unexpected events may occur during your cancer journey that put you in an emotional flurry, such as the day you find clumps of your hair everywhere. A mouth sore develops or a vaginal infection flares up because your immune system is compromised from your breast cancer treatment. Or you look in the mirror and you don't even recognize yourself. These are just some of the ups and downs that make staying on course so challenging.
