My Throat cancer treatment had been completed and medically speaking it was now a closely monitored wait-and-see game to see how my body responded to the treatment. As previously discussed the elation of finishing the treatment had subsided to now the marvel of the human body to rejuvenate itself was to take over. Forget melodramics this is real life!
By now through my Pharyngeal Cancer Journey you will realise there are many factors to contend with . To break it down there is the medical treatment with side effects; the physical side effects and the Psychological side effects.
In this episode, I am addressing the later joint subject of physical and Psychological recovery after Radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
THIS IS MY BODY DESCRIPTION after treatment.
Body weight 59Kgs
Height 5ft 8in
Strength Inability to open bottles, lift anything over 10 kgs,
Posture Stooped over
Mobility Shuffling
Self-care Able to bathe and toilet myself
Alertness Is about 30% of normal before cancer
Self Esteem Low
Motivation Low
Diet Problematic (Discussed in Part 21)
How do you return to good health after CancerTreatment?
One Battle at a time ! The good news addressing one helps the other!
I found I could not improve on my physical rebuild because of my depressed motivation and self-esteem. ASK FOR HELP Call on your carers and supporters to help get you on track to recovery. I could not lift myself up after my prolonged illness. My darling wife came up with a solution; I had been in the same surroundings from the beginning to the end of my treatment, I was struggling to improve so she decided to remove me back to our "Happy Place" on the beach in North Queensland for a short holiday.
Of course I did not want to go as "it" was too much trouble! I am certain this was an important turning point in my recovery.
Being back in our "Happy Place" brought back good memories of life before cancer as these thoughts were totally non-existent during treatment.(Note. In writing this I just realized I did use this memory during my radiation treatment as a diversionary tactic to get me through the claustrophobic effect of my radiation helmet.) My outlook changed; instead of my life with Cancer, it changed to focusing on living life again. Physically I was not at that point but now psychologically I had started the recovery process! Be aware you cannot start a physical recovery without a change in mindset.
CANCER IS AN ATTACK ON YOUR SENSES NOT JUST YOUR PHYSICAL
A momentous shift in my cancer recovery had occurred ! Next part we begin the physical journey. Photo of our Happy Place👉👉
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Welcome, I hope my blog helps in some way to cope with cancer.I am a survivor remember; One Day at a Time;
Regards
Phil on a Mission