A Walk with a Cancer Patient

One of my friends put me in contact with one of her friends who is also going through cancer treatment right now, albeit different cancer.  We connected via text and decided to take a walk this morning.

It was so refreshing to chat with someone who a. could joke about diarrhea and other intestinal issues and b. had great perspective as someone who has been in treatment longer than I have.  While we couldn't compare our treatments as they are so different, we could ask 'why don't the oncologists tell you about all of the side effects?' (maybe because everyone has different ones or because the list would be too long and scary?) and 'is broccoli the enemy now?' (yes - potatoes and bagels are our friends).

It was also nice for me to be able to ask her about travel.  As you know, we have had to cancel trips and are currently mourning our Carmel trip.  There is one trip that I am going to do - our annual Thanksgiving trip to Jamaica.  We have done it every year since my husband's mother passed (from metastasized breast cancer) with my husband's family.  Our girls (and us too, who am I kidding) love this tradition and it's the only time of year we are all together.  

She confirmed what my thoughts have been - the airport and planes are super scary, try to get through lines quickly (we have TSA, Global Entry, and will be flying first class), wear an N95 mask and do not take it off, wipe down all surfaces on the plane (which I did well before Covid), and take an arsenal of meds with me.  She attended a family wedding in the US during a round of chemo and the travel part was the most stressful.  I plan to take some Ativan to make that journey 'less intense'. 

While the topic and treatments are serious, it was so nice to talk with her and gain some knowledge.  She's seeing an integrative oncologist (medical oncologist who works with acupuncture and yoga to improved patients' quality of life) this week and I can't wait to hear about it.  If anything, our conversation made me feel less alone and I hope we can walk again soon. xo J

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