I had my dexamethasone yesterday morning, followed by my weekly Kyprolis infusion, and the discomforts have mostly passed, but I couldn't sleep. So I was up and writing this at 2:00 a.m. I had an infusion week off last week and, wow, was that ever good! Something to look forward to in another three weeks.
I thought I'd pass along my methods of coping, starting with four mantras:
- The Serenity Prayer: Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference.
- This quote from Joseph Campbell: We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy.
- It's all connected!
- This, too, shall pass.
And I try to avoid the default senior conversation about our aches and pains and pills and potions, except that I do talk about my cancer. I find many people don't talk about it, maybe because they somehow think it's their fault, that it's somehow shameful. I find talking about it opens up floodgates for those who have or had cancer, or who have friends and loved ones with the disease. Talking about it can help make it right-sized, help folks realize they do not have to face it alone, and gets us out of the self-centeredness that is an unspoken side effect of chronic illness.
