Way of thinking..........

Courage doesn't always roar.

Sometimes courage is the quiet voice

at the end of the day saying,

"I will try again tomorrow."

- Mary Anne Radmacher
This morning I went for a walk by the church in Raufoss after I had been to my doctor to my monthly medical examination. The weather was fine but cold, so enjoy winter pictures from my hometown.
The end of cancer treatment is often a time to rejoice. I'm relieved to be finished with the demands of treatment and are ready to put the experience behind me.

While cancer is a major event for all who are diagnosed, it brings with it the chance for growth. As hard as treatment can be, cancer survivors like I think that the experience led us to make important changes in our lives. I now take time to appreciate each new day. I think I also have learned how to take better care of myself and value how others care for me.
After treatment for breast cancer, I knew my life had changed forever. Nothing could ever be the same. I wasn't very sad at my losses, but I felt I had been given the gift of a new life. Survivors often express the need to understand what having had cancer means to their lives now. In fact, many find that cancer causes them to look at life in new ways. They may reflect on spirituality, the purpose of life, and what they value most, and this is the situation for me as well.

These changes can be very positive. I feel lucky and blessed to have survived treatment and take new joy in each day. I want to make changes in my life to reflect what matters most to me now; spend more time with my loved ones, place less focus on needlessness and enjoy the pleasures of nature. Going through a crisis like cancer, gives you renewed strength!!!
I also feel better able to handle any future problems that might come up. I have strength that I didn't know I had. I feel good that I've found ways to cope!!

I think many families become stronger under and after a cancer treatment. We've had our rough spots, but we have never again taken each other for granted.....!

Having cancer can change relationships with the people in your life. It's normal to notice changes in the way you relate to family, friends, and other people that you are around every day - and the way they relate to you. I know it to my cost.When treatment ends, families are often not prepared for the fact that recovery takes time. In general, recovery will take much longer time than the treatment did. I didn't realize how much time I needed to recover. I'm a little impatient with myself. This can lead to disappointment, worry, and frustration for everyone, but mostly for myself.
My family may not realize that the way our family works may have changed permanently as a result of my cancer. I need a little of support and help to manage to take care of the house, it is still too much for me to handle. My family may want life to go back to normal and expect probably me to do what I used to do around the house.
When treatment ends, you may expect life to return to the way it was before you were diagnosed with cancer. But it can take time to recover. I have permanent scars on my body, and I am not able to do some things I did easily before. Cleaning the windows and vacuum cleaning for example..... Not a big lost would you perhaps say, but a little inconvenient will I say. But the most difficult to deel with, is to find that others think of me differently now.
One of the hardest things after treatment is not knowing what happens next. Those who have gone through cancer treatment describe the first few months as a time of change. It's not so much "getting back to normal" as it is finding out what's normal for me now. Some survivors who have had certain kinds of chemotherapy or medicines have problems with weight gain. Sometimes the added pounds stay on even when treatment ends. Breast cancer survivors who have had certain types of chemotherapy gain weight in a different way - they may lose muscle and gain fat tissue.
Unfortunately, the usual ways people try to lose weight may not work for them and me......!!
So, I must try to be patient with myself.
Look for the positive things that I can control, such as eating a healthy diet and being active.
I will focus on the fact that treatment is over, and I will get stronger with time.