New Diagnosis....fear is Overwhelming

ambientbeats said:

here for you
hi michelle~

i'm new to this board but am hear to support and listen. like everyone here, i can relate to your fears. cancer is a terrifying thing and i'm just learning how to live with/alongside it or as i say to my friends and family how to "wear it." it's good that you are articulating your feelings. the last thing you want is to keep it in and just marinate in it.

oscar wilde said: "we are all in the gutter. some of us are looking at the stars." recognizing where you are is important. but more importantly, know that there are stars out there to gaze upon. there's hope. and we're rooting you on!

hugs and blessings,
cece

Thank you...
Cece:
Thank you so much for the comments. I definetly agree with you about getting the feelings out because otherwise they will consume you and eat you. It has really helped talking with people also in the sense that the more knowledge you have helps reduce the fear too by giving you a little more control regarding whats available and what things help during treatment, etc. etc. Your quote really offers food for thought. Yes there is hope and I am going to grab it and run with it. I hope we all will all beat this disease and enjoy the stars.
Hugs and blessings to you too, Michele

lindaprocopio said:

CECE: I like "In the darkness you can see the stars"
MICHELE: I'm glad that my research and experience is helpful to anyone else going through this. At least something good comes of all we go through, in the new friendships we make and new knowledge that we can share. Internet research is a big part of my job (I own a small grantwriting company: www.procopiofundraising.com), so it is instinctive and easy for me to do research into anything and everything. I was one of those children that wears out a set of encyclopedias looking things up, and the internet has been a LIFE-CHANGER for me, as a go-to place for my insatiable curiosity about every new thing that I see, experience, or think of. I guess 'cancer' has captured my imagination now that it has captured my body. (blush)

You can have carbonated drinks if you let them sit out awhile and get flat before you drink them. It's the gas that can make you uncomfortable. And you can have coffee, but you just can't count caffeinated drinks as a part of your "daily 64 ounces" as they do not hydrate effectively. I was told to drink an EXTRA cup of water for every cup of coffee I drink. (I need coffee to start my day!) Naturally decaffeinated green tea is a good choice (I'd drink maybe 4 cups of that daily); and water, of course. Sugar-y drinks can also play havoc with your digestion. That's why I watered down my cranberry juice, to get MORE fluid in me, since I don't think drinking 64 ounces of straight cranberry juice would be good for my poor intestines!! I really missed having a glass of wine in the evening, but when I did have a glass at a birthday party, I felt so nauseous that it wasn't worth it and I didn't do it again. The radiation rounds days go by fast, as you are there 5 days a week and it flies by. You can do this! You'll be glad that you did everything you could personally to make this go well; it's empowering to play an active role in your treatments by being responsible with what you consume. ((((Michele))))

tips
Linda:
You have given me some wonderful ideas and I plan to definetly use them. I am not a coffee or tea drinker, have never liked either one, so I won't be missing that. I don't care for flat soda, so I guess I will just skip that and drink like cystal light and sugar free koolaid and some water (just not a big water drinker...lol) I am so glad to hear that the radiation days go by quickly. The suggestions you made were great too and I am going to follow them. You are indeed an amazing person to be going through all of this and reaching out to others in the way that you do. I told my family about you, in particular my husband and I told him what valuable information you have given me and what a sweet nature you have. To be giving so much to others in the middle of your own battle is very heart warming. My husband keeps asking me, where is she from and I keep saying "I forgot to ask" so now I am asking...where are you from? (lol) We live in Fort Worth, Tx are orig. from Minnesota and actually do miss that weather, way to hot here in the summer. You are definetly an angel and your halo glows in your picture, it's beautiful!