Cancer ☯ Facing Death ☯ Letting Go ☯ Loss of Job ☯ Balance Spirit & Self
Cancer Meditation ☯ What Worked for Me ☯ Pain Management
Radiation Therapy ☯ Padre Pio ☯ Our Christmas Miracle
Letting Go of Control
& Understanding Cycles
of Cancer
When cancer is initially diagnosed the very first fear that most people have is
“Am I going to die?” This is the normal overwhelming first thought and most of the time there is no room for any other thought or emotion.
The initial diagnosis will usually shock a person into some sort of action. The first action may be positive or negative and can be the beginning of the future path followed by that person. The first few weeks the person will be in the fog and they may not even know it. Their thinking will be cloudy and concentration might become difficult. It may seem like they are zoning out.
New contact with medical persons, however unwelcome, can tie up much of the mental and emotional energy you have. I recommend making lists of questions for your meetings with medical personnel. Bring someone with you to those meetings because the fog will make it difficult for you to receive all the important information you are looking for. Remember two heads are always better than one, tell the other person what it is your looking for and what you want. With all this negative input and stimuli many people still experience a very positive, clearer heightened insight on what is most important in their lives.
The process of letting go can open new doors to self-understanding. When someone begins their fight against cancer they will probably struggle to keep that sense of control they are used to having. Total control during cancer treatment is not possible. Once a person gives up trying to control everything, they may start seeing aspects of themselves in their body mind and relationships in a new light. Their personal priorities may become clearer. Many cancer survivors consider this heightened insight a positive result of their cancer experience. The process of letting go can open new doors to self-understanding.
Letting go can also help when they are experiencing the frustration that results from the treatments. The longer a person is having treatment the more opportunity there is for frustration to come into play. When there is loss of control of the body and fatigue is keeping them from what they want or are able to physically accomplish, then they need to let go. I know that I speak about fighting the fatigue but we also need to know our limits. When you have to do something in that fatigued state then do it in smaller steps as much you can. Small accomplishments will help keep a good sense of your own self worth.
The first treatment will probably change the cycle and rhythms that a person is accustomed to doing things. Watching your energy levels and learning the new rhythm will help to go with the flow of future treatments. Remember the fog? It may take a couple of treatments to really understand these new cycles. It is important to note that, at this point in time most cancer treatments have a cumulative effect. if the first treatment seemed like a cake walk just wait, after a few weeks you may think differently. When someone understands their cycles then they can attend to the job at hand and doing their part in healing.
Recognize that they are going to have bad days and good days. On the bad days they will not schedule anything and may not even want to communicate. But on the good days they will be more apt to be more active and respond to suggestions. That is when fighting the fatigue is possible. When the energy levels are known then you can start to schedule life’s needs.
The cancer patient will be amazed at how resilient the human body can be. They just need to understand that the more a person allows the strength of their body to work with the treatment the more successful the treatment will be. If you don’t waste your energy fighting the treatment then they will have more energy to listen and work with the new clearer insights you have.