Learning to Accept My Weaknesses

Recently I've had to acknowledge my body and mind are not as good as they used to be, even three months ago. In early August I was on vacation in Maine, walking around a small island, climbing over rocks and downed trees, enjoying life. I didn't know that three weeks later, on September 1, I'd be diagnosed with metastatic cancer - meaning the cancer cells had moved from the original location to elsewhere. For me, it was in my lungs and abdomen. 

Since then I've undergone radiation therapy on a specific lung nodule that was crowding my heart, and have gone back into chemotherapy. 

The new chemo regimen is tougher on me than the one I did last year. It's changed me in ways that I don't like.

Yes I Have Cancer, No I Am Not Disabled

I've been surprised by the number of people who have asked me why I'm still working fulltime. My co-workers asked me, when I returned to my job following surgery, when I was going to retire. Friends, and some family members, have asked.

I guess many people hear "cancer" and think dire consequences for the person afflicted. Or perhaps they've known people who were incapacitated by their disease, or they've seen a lot of movies where the cancer patient spends all her time in bed or in the hospital.

I wanted to go back to my job four weeks after surgery, but my surgeon wouldn't sign the work release. He said six weeks minimum.

I worked all through chemotherapy, and through radiation therapy. I missed just one and a half days of work due to feeling ill.