Is there something you know now that you wished you knew back when you were first diagnosed?
Katelynn Bauer Moderator & Contributor
I wish I had known that all of the emotional/mental struggles that came with having cancer were completely normal and justified.
Leya Elijah-Lyle Moderator & Contributor
I agree! I feel the same way. We are constantly learning on this journey that's for sure! ~Leya - Team Member~
Amanda Brunson Moderator & Contributor
agreed!
Susan Gonsalves Moderator & Contributor
Agree. I also would have stopped trying to "defend" my condition (leukemia) and trying to prove how serious it is to people who don't understand and think it is no big deal. Learned a few years ago it is not worth the effort and to focus on living day to day with it.
Katelynn Bauer Moderator & Contributor
Yes, 100%.
Dennis Golden Moderator
It is amazing how people dismiss medical conditions with observations like ....you don't look like you have cancer .
Leya Elijah-Lyle Moderator & Contributor
I wish I had known all the physical and emotional side effects of chemotherapy, and how hard taking pain killers would be on my body. I definitely wish I had known to find support with other survivors from the beginning.
~Leya - Team Member~
Dennis Golden Moderator
I wish I had known the many unknowns I was about to face. What does it really mean not to be able to taste food for months on end? ... OR ... What happens when you have fingers that are so numb from chemo you can not fasten a button on a shirt? ...OR ... How can it look at myself into a mirror and know that some day I will look normal again? OR ... The list goes on and on. We all react differently to treatment travel different paths.