Trying to Live Like Before the Diagnosis

Now what they don’t tell you is that if you do make it to remission of your blood cancer, with maintenance or without maintenance, the likelihood of other challenges always stays present. It may feel like a rollercoaster-like, “Gotcha...made you look.” I’ve gotten the high-five of negative MRD (minimal residual disease) for a few years, as of my writing this. But if I told you the continual motion of this and that outbursts, well it’s been a headache.

Life really changes

The idea that you can adjust to life by going back to doing whatever you did before a diagnosis is a joke. You may be able to partake in a trip, sashay at a club, and dance here and there, but the remnants of blood cancer truly stay with us.

I've had constant reminders of this for over a decade, and that is thanks to multiple myeloma. Some areas are brought to our attention when we sign that paper describing the side effects of one drug over the other. But I don’t recall anyone discussing the overall effects of neuropathy, brain fog, and bone issues after being listed in remission.

There’s always something going on, and maybe not high alert changes but enough to realize that Dorothy is not back in Kansas.

Mindfulness in recovery: accepting changes

I know a handful of us want to go about life as if this is a chapter that can be written off. However, it’s a story that needs to be remembered in terms of how we grasp adversities and still come out, in the end, good, bad, and indifferent.

So yes, sashaying on the dance floor is okay, but the long-term effects of cancer treatment show up after that final spin as a reminder of the hits and misses you’ve just gone through. The mere fact you can join in on one electric slide during a party is a huge feat.

Practical considerations for after treatment

The idea of travel while still in treatment or post-treatment...who knew? As a frequent traveler, I recall the list of things to consider if traveling out of the country: Re-zap of meds, possible hospital plan, and all of the things we would normally not have to think about on a vacation.

It may feel fab not revisiting the past of the best protocols now in remission. However, thoughts of things resurface, reminding us that we should still be watchful when on a plane, should those legs ward off blood clots, and be mindful of how long is this flight going to be.

The new world of being mindful of the past will, more than likely, become the way of navigating life after remission and moving forth.

Embracing the future after blood cancer

Yes, we can move and groove, but in the back of our heads, we can’t forget those milestones. These milestones may open our eyes to see how precious those moments we take for granted really are. Even if you have those battle scars of the past, what can you learn to make this new wave of rebirth so more appreciative?

 The time to fight is now, with integrity, grace, hope, and a smile…. when you feel like it