Strength

So funny you posted this today, as last night I asked my son if I would ever feel better.  I'm 11 days post treatment.  I do feel a tiny bit better every day.  I am trying to be patient.  Since I still have difficulty getting dressed, I walked around the house a bit last night.  And those brutal battles with the toilet are exhausting as well.  

That said, I have been up since 6:30 a.m. this morning - it is 2:00 p.m. and I am ready for a nap.  I am not a fan of napping because I feel yukky afterwards.  And trying to get those fluids in is such a battle.  

One day at a time!

Echoing Martha's advice ... she says good stuff so I'm not going to repeat it.

At the point you are now I was able to take very short walks.  I noodled around the house, watched movies, read a little (brain still pretty foggy from chemo), stretched a little, took my short walk mid-day and then took a rest, sometimes sleeping but mainly just being horizontal and listening to the radio.  I may be slower than other folks but it took me months to really feel "strength" but I did steadily make my walks longer and my rest periods shorter.  You are healing from something really awful and your body needs time.

Hi, I just want to clarify, when I said I felt human after 3-4 weeks, thats it, just human, nothing more! I agree with Martha, that it was close to 2 years before feeling what I could call great! But it seems that every few weeks there was noticable improvement.

Thinking of everyone who is facing this challenge at all stages.......

Phoebesnow said:

Healing

For me it was 2 1/2 years before I stopped praying for the day to end.  2  1/2 years of napping every day.  Sometimes for several hours.   At times I wondered if it was worth it.  Now I can finally say it was.  Yesterday, when they called my name at the drs office and I bolted out of the chair like a kid.  I realized that now I finally feel normal.  Its a journey but you will get there.  Everyone's journey is different.  I pray that you have an easy one .

I love it. Everyone has done such a good job responding to these posts that I have nothing more to say but that not only can I bolt from a chair I can "plop" down on a chair. 

Just before I began my treatment I could only lay on my side. It was too painful to sit at all. My tumor was very angry about the biopsy procedure and even for years before I had shooting pain down my legs whenever I sat down on anything but a very thick cushion and even then if I could not prop up my legs "just right". I winced everytime I saw a cop show where they shoved anyone into a chair thinking "how cruel!" I had no idea that an invasive tumor was my problem until I was diagnosed after passing blood. My husband had decided I was nuts.

After treatment, I was very very impatient with my recovery. But like others have indicated here it took me two years to be feeling truly healthy. 

It took me a while to get over the anemia.

I believe in taking "Green Vibrance" every day. It features 25 billion probiotics and everything God ever made green to give you nutrients. You can take it in juice. It is "green" but it doesn't taste bad at all. It helps me feel more "vibrant" and aids digestion also.

I also believe in taking Organic Whole Husk Psyllium to regulate the bowels. My surgeon suggested it and it makes a remarkable difference. I have let myself run out and stop taking it for a while and my "accident" rate really goes up.

Nap as much as you need to. Naps are miraculous. I felt like a failure everytime I took a nap but it is just nature's way and they are a Godsend. You won't always need them but you need them now. I also like five hour energy if you really have to find a way to move. They have lots of B vitamins and a little bit of caffeine. The B vitamins are a real "pick me up". I don't take any other caffeine other than when I have iced tea at a restaurant. I am strictly a decaf or herbal girl, so I don't worry about the little bit of caffeine that is in the five hour energy which is equal to a cup of regular coffee. But even so, save it unless you really need to get going and just rest for now.

You are a human being, not a human doing. Use rest time to enjoy reading or just watching TV. I took up knitting to at least make things while resting when I wasn't sleepy. Rest is just as important as naps. You need to do both. Grab whatever opportunities. Do not even think about doing all you used to do right now. Get used to just letting some things go.

I like my life much better today than even long before my diagnosis. Cancer is not a completely bad thing. Sometimes we need to stop. It gives us a chance to take a new look.

All the best to you two! Trust you are healing. You will be well in God's time.

Sandy