Treatment may feel like a sprint. Recovering from treatment is a marathon.

Diagnosis is a whirlwind. If your cancer is early stage treatment may feel like a sprint. Often our doctors view it that way. In their mind the early stage means moving through treatment and getting on with things. I recently spoke with someone who was pretty offended by the idea her doctor shared that her cancer diagnosis may be a blip on the radar in six months to a year. It was much more impactful than a blip.

When treatment ends and we are dismissed from weekly check ins, we are left to figure out why we are not bouncing back as quickly as we expected to. Shortly after my diagnosis, a lady who served on a board with me and was a stage 3 breast cancer survivor, said, “You’ll be back to normal in two years or so.” I remember thinking 2-years? I may be good with surgery. What do you mean 2-years?!?

Healing is a marathon. 

It is resting more than we expected we would need to and figuring out that the new normal is real. Whether the new normal is making changes because we determined that we wanted off our current hamster wheel or as a result of treatment side effects, we need to meet our new normal where we are and figure out the path forward.

What new normal have you discovered?

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