Revisiting Joy + Peace in the Midst of Suffering

Believe it or not, the theme throughout my cancer journey was and continues to be: joy and peace. Weird, I know; I explain it more in the post linked below. Happy reading!

Things I've remembered and/or learned since I first wrote these...

-Early July is a TERRIBLE time to be hospitalized. Lots of "baby" doctors around, filling their first matches. Some do fine, others do...too much? I had one resident go straight to telling me that there was a possibility of needing to have my rectum removed. 😮 Way more than I needed to know, especially before the CT was even read.

-It's obvious looking back that I was treated as drug-seeking at the first emergency department visit. Trust me, I've thanked God many times for that second visit with a different doc and the hospitalist that happens to live in my sister's neighborhood. 

-Triage nurses need to know the absolute highest number you have reached in your ordeal, not just what the pain is at in the moment you are speaking to them. Duh. Hindsight is 20/20. There wasn't much urgency placed on me when I said my pain was at a 4. Mind you, the pain was actually reaching a for-sure 10 at random intervals for hours before I got to the first triage nurse I saw. I wasn't thinking clearly, okay??

-My support system ROCKS. Prayer. Meals. Funds. Kid transportation. Letting me talk. All covered, and then some. I don't love that I've been through this, but I love that I was surrounded by the most amazing community. 

-I've avoided writing more than the first three posts because I'm afraid of what I will feel. I'm afraid to open up wounds that I have been happily ignoring and avoiding for years at this point. They really ARE coming this time. For me, more than anything. Sharing to help another person is just a bonus. 

Here are links to my second and first posts about my cancer journey:

Cancer Journey 2 - Joy + Peace in the Midst of Suffering

Cancer Journey 1 - The Beginning of My Cancer Journey