Patient Type

When you got the devastating news of being diagnosed with cancer, did you think about how life will change for you? Did you think about what type of patient will you be or become? Let's delve in as I know some of us live in a world where we feel it’s all about us when surviving this new world, and it is. In this time and space, you’re not trying to hear about your neighbor crying and acting up because they have a splinter that needed a doctor’s assistance, and though if not remedied an infection could arise, it isn’t cancer!

Optimistic

No one starts this journey without some form of hope, even if the news is dire. I think a lot of times this is where your medical team and your personal cheerleaders can help on how you look at this situation by helping you get to that positive place. It’s not easy and we all bloom in our own space and time.

Fickle

There’s nothing wrong with changing your mind, but when on a schedule of survival, now is not the time to change up your pattern, unless it makes sense. The watch and wait approach that we usually see in this community for most newly diagnosed is common, but making a decision of going forward with treatment when not yet ready is not quite the normal approach. When provided the guidelines of my 3-year plan of treatment, I don’t really recall any decisions about treatment being left for me to decide. I guess if I could, I would have continued with watching and waiting, but the body does indeed make the rules when things need to take action, being indecisive and too particular may not be helpful.

Pessimistic

OMG! I’ve met a variety of personalities but nothing more upsetting is a person who is overly negative in their reaction to their situation. At the end of the day no one owes any of us anything, so we need to remove this type of mindset of the negative nelly. There’s little room for pessimism and it doesn’t help those who are rooting for you continue the cheers and encouragements, while you sulk.

Chill

Out of those mentioned, I think I settled into the chill factor, which may not have been the case when I was first diagnosed, but once I learned my new routine, I was able to keep things moving. "Oh, so treatment is twice a week, okay fine let’s move things along then." Though I was vocal once I got a handle of the process, because it is a process, I adapted with hope for the best.

You can’t foretell how you are going to be and what the ladder of emotions will be, but you hope whatever it is, it will be the true deterrent to how your time will be fighter mode with a hint of spice. Good luck!

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