HOPE!

I am not a frequent poster, but check in almost daily, partly because you people are the only other people that know what this disease is really like. Yes....it is a ROYAL pain. I am an almost 6 year survivor of rectal cancer. I managed to avoid a colostomy, but dealt with all of the issues that so many of you are dealing with. I remember having to get out a hot shower 6 times to go to the bathroom during my chemotherapy. I remember burns so bad from radiation that I almost passed out in the bathroom. The impact that this disease has on our self-esteem is immense. There were times I just wanted to give up and run away, but I finished the treatment like I had finished marathons in the past...one step at a time. I still have to be careful about what I eat. I still need to konw where the bathroom is "just in case." As a prosecuting attorney, I know that I can't eat too much if I have to stay in the courtroom all day. However, it is 6 years later and I am alive, running 30 miles a week, lifting weights..doing everything else for my body that I can do..and raising my three children at the same time. To those of you in the midst of treatment...perservere. This too will pass. Rest, sleep and eat enough to stay healthy and try to look forward to one thing each day (mine, at my worst, was doing the crossword puzzle in the paper). And one more thing...Cream of Wheat...when all else fails it is gentle and fortifying. I lived on it while recovering from surgery with a balky system. Keep up the fight survivors...I believe that we have earned a special place in heaven for this fight...and more time on earth too! Courage.