Living with cancer & a new challenge
It’s been a few months since I’ve written a blog. I’ve had to update and change to my website over to a new host which ended up with a few problems but hopefully it’s fixed and I’ll be writing more regularly of my life with cancer. I’ve also been focusing on my YouTube channel where I have been posting a video each week with updates and thoughts about living with cancer. Here is the link
https://youtube.com/@Woody1966
At the time of writing I’m having another hot flush. They come and go with alarming regularity and often leave me soaked with sweat. It’s ok if I’m Inside but as soon as I go out side I’m often reduced to bouts of shivering and feeling extremely cold. Roll on the warm summer months where it’s not so bad.
I guess I’m lucky that despite my dire prognosis, I’m still kicking around after nearly 1 and a half years since my diagnosis since sept 2021. Has it really been that long. The time is flying by and that is a terrifying thought for one who has this death sentence hanging over them. Time seems to be ever increasing in speed. My life is measured in months, each month I start a new course with my students for their ambulance training, each month I have a monthly injection, a monthly blood test and monthly I pick up my meds from the chemo ward at my local hospital. Each month of course I wait for the blood test results. Why does it seem that those months come around so fast.
I guess I’m dam lucky in so many ways. I’m lucky my pain is managed rather well and although I’m almost always aware of the slow burning sensation at the bottom of my back and numbness in my right leg caused by the radiation and damage from the tumours to my nerves, that light pain is all I have. It could be so much worse. Thank you universe for what ever miracles you are letting me have it’s much appreciative.🙏
I still talk everyday on my drive in to work about all of my gratitude’s of which the list grows bigger each day. I would implore anyone who is going through cancer or some other tough time to daily remind yourself about what is good in your world. To start it’s not easy, and you may find very little to be thankful for. But each day I find I’m empowered through gratitude and the things I’m grateful for seem to flow into my thoughts more readily. Once you switch the gratitude tap on it becomes easier to find stuff to be grateful for if you persist with it for a while. Hell I’m even doing the gratitude thing last thing at night as well, my cuppeth is over flowing it seems.
Cancer, is a dark word that we wish to avoid, it’s like crossing to the other side of the road when all of our senses tell us someone not good is walking towards us. Cancer is associated with so many bad things. My own diagnosis was at first the most horrible experience it took a while to really hit me. It was long past the radiation treatment and the subsequent recovery period that somewhere in that blur of days it suddenly really occured to me that Ive got cancer and not only that but also it was bad as it gets and it can’t be cured(we will see about that). I’ve often thought back to those dark days and thought if only I had a crystal ball to see into the future. I would have seen that things once I had got my head out of the sand and faced the reality that was when things started to get better not worse. Life’s treasures of happiness and realisation of the joys of life became stronger than ever before. Would I like to have a crystal ball now, no way. I don’t want to know what’s in store for me, I just want to live in the day to day world and include as much gratitude kindness and positivity in my days. These are the most powerful weapons I have to cope with cancer.
I have some exciting news to talk about before I go. I’ve got a new challenge coming up in June. Last year I found a real purpose in joining challenges and setting goals for myself, this year I’ve been very quiet on that front. I’m joining a group of great people who have arranged to walk from Margate to Whitstable in my name in aid of Prostate Cancer UK it’s around 18 miles which normally wouldn’t be a massive deal but I’ve got a couple of tumours in my back one in my hip and a few fractures in my back just to make the job a wee bit more tougher. I’ll talk more about it next time and you can join us if you fancy a walk along the Kent coast it really is very nice. The more the merrier ☺️ You can have a look at my just giving page here.
Untill next time
Woody ❤️
Good to see you writing again.I have fought stage four prostate cancer with metastasis in pelvis, sacrum and neck for three years. Radiation and oral chemo have done their job- both with side effects and effectiveness. I am now in remission. It’s a waiting game, but one I’ll play. Dr says 2-5 yrs before it comes back. So hang in there. Fight the good fight. Life is worth it!