Juggling Act

For many, managing blood cancer may be the most hectic experience of our lives. What I mean is that there are many layers of our daily lives that most people just don’t understand. The outsiders don’t get to see our movement, growth, and how we make it through each day. Though some go with the flow, others strategize to keep sane while getting things done.

Our first ball: Treatment

Let’s toss the first ball of treatment and infusion in the air. Those reading understand what that endures, which is moving from one to another when receiving the infusion. The toss of what arm today for the right vein, to what side today for the best subcutaneous stomach target for our Velcade shot. It’s a toss it’s indeed a juggle but we make it through by getting through the ordeal.

Our second ball: Our daily lives

It’s not easy making adjustments in our lives after a cancer diagnosis, but we make them because it becomes necessary. Who will walk the dog? Pick up the mail? Who's going to do those normal, everyday things once you hear those words “You have cancer?" Well, from the looks of it, it’s going to be us (the patient) and those who hang with us through it all. At the end of the day, there’s work to continue and bills to be paid.

Our third ball: Developing a strategy

Is there a strategy to move through your day to day with blood cancer? Perhaps. Some don’t have the patience to consider developing a strategy because at the end of the day, pain and fatigue are in the mix of a cancer diagnosis, and sometimes we don’t have time for details when we’re having a bad day.

Does developing a strategy in this juggle help manage how and what we do every day, while continuing some form of normalcy? We still need to be on top of appointments and medications, right? So how do we merge our prognosis life with our old life? Let’s try by managing this slowly.

Write it down

When the multiple medication cocktails take its course, it’s difficult to remember the day of an infusion because it may be the same day the mortgage payment is due. Begin by writing things down deemed urgent, this will help to avoid getting in a bind.

Honesty

Be honest about what you can and cannot do that day. This will have to be the time that we have a true reflection on our new abilities. When the balls are juggling out of control, take a step back and ask for help.

Learn to say no

Rather than being a "yes" person, this is the time to speak up when you just can’t do things like you used to.

Even for me, I juggle a lot of projects intertwined with family life and sometimes, I feel like these things tend to make up my whole life. However, when my arms are about to drop and my head is spinning, I know it’s time to settle down and take a breather, for there’s only so much one can manage. Cheers to doing it all sensibly with blood cancer... What else can we do?

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