Five Years Cancer Free!

I just had my five year CT scan. My scans look perfectly normal. My blood work also looks good although my blood sugar is a little high. It's hard to believe that this journey started five and half years ago with some shocking news. I didn't know what to expect but it seemed like nothing but bad news at the time. I was scared and a little bit angry that this could happen to me. Looking back on the experience reveals some surprises. First of all, I learned that I'm stronger than I ever knew I was. I never faced any serious health problems in the past and I didn't know how I would handle this one. From the start, I decided to have a positive attitude and not be afraid. I can't stress the importance of a good attitude enough. It made the whole experience less stressful and it made it easier to follow the doctors' advice. By avoiding stress and sticking to a regimen of constant hand washing and avoiding crowds, I was able to attend every infusion on schedule. I didn't miss a single day of work during my six months of chemo. Taking notes at every doctor appointment helped as well. It's hard to remember what was said at an appointment within hours of leaving the doctor's office. Good note taking made it easier to follow instructions and remember the answers to questions I asked the doctor. One of the biggest surprises to me was that I started feeling happy while I still had cancer. It put things in perspective for me in a way that few things could. I live in the present now. I spend less time feeling angry about stupid things from the past and I don't worry about the future as much. In a strange way, it may be lucky that this happened to me. I need to think of a way to celebrate my good news. Maybe a trip somewhere would be a good way to mark the occasion. If you've just been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma, don't get depressed. You can win this fight and be happier than you were before you got the news. Now go beat this and start planning where you'll take your five year trip!