BluebellsMcGee OP t1_jbzwgo4 wrote on March 13, 2023 at 12:32 AM

Reply to comment by sassergaf in Cancer timeline: treatment for stage 3c triple positive breast cancer (all cancers are unique, this is my personal timeline; similar diagnoses will have a similar, but not identical, timeline) [OC] by BluebellsMcGee

I wish my team had presented this to me in advance, or at least something like it. I keep feeling blindsided by the "but wait there's more" aspect of my treatment.

sassergaf t1_jc020ep wrote on March 13, 2023 at 1:15 AM

I don’t think she got it all in advance either and became exasperated. She began asking questions and taking notes. Then she’d select points in the timeline and focus on them as a goal, like, “in 18 months I’ll be able to go to the pool and swim.” (For a point in time after the reconstructive surgery.) It gave her a sense of when she could return to normal activities, and to plan and look forward to it.
About 18 months later we went to a spa for her birthday and she swam laps for the first time since the diagnosis. It was a wonderful day. She made it through the hurdles and is doing well. I wish the same for you.