whatcancerisreallylike

My name is Nai, but most call me Nana. My mother's name was Nilda and she was diagnosed with neuroendocrine carcinoma. I had the pleasure not only being her daugther but her caretaker/home attendant as well. Around July 2009, she was raising a set of twins she adopted because she knew what its like not to have a mom and opened her doors to them. They were just shy of their 8th birthday when she received the news. She had undergone various surgeries, chemotherapies, prolonging her life for them. Everyday I saw cancer. She had good days and bad but she never let it defy her strength and faith in God and Jesus. When I say everyday I mean it. I was in a long-term relationship now married. My Father, The Twins, My Mother, and My Husband all have various medical issues which led me to become a medical assistant. I always wanted to know everything with My mom. Her scans, xray's, bloodwork, medicine, doctors etc., I knew everything. She fought for 8 years. My Husband opened our home fir hospice for mom and joined in the difficult journey ahead. He never left my side. My mom loved him dearly and everything he did was for her.

I know what any child of a parent dealing and battling this disease is going through or about too. My advice is never give up on yourself for your loved one. They will have moments of mood swings, take a breathe, is not you trust me. When Mom passed in early 2017, my interpretation of her passing is and I quote myself...

" When you teach your child to walk, their will be times where they will fall but eventually it is so they can be independent to one day to walk on their own. I do not grieve because I've done all I could, all 35 years of my life I dedicated to her and not regret one day. She now has finally let go so I can walk independently on my own. She didn't die alone, her first born, my older sister was there to send her off so she can meet and greet the Mother she never knew but finally embrace as she entered Heaven."

I hope I can be of some help to anyone.

#whatcancerisreallylike #myowneyes #neuroendocrinecarcinoma #prayerispowerful #strength #Faith

#whatcancerisreallylike

In 1997 my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer, just 6 weeks before my wedding. Everything went fast, mastectomy, celebrates her 50th birthday in the hospital, chemo, wigs, wedding...and a few months after that, my baby girl arrived! My mom was deathly ill from the horrible poison going into her body. She was such an inspiration and the rock of our family. Her Faith in Jesus Christ shines through her and her battle. She has been free from cancer until Sept 2018, when a very large and crazy growing tumor was growing on her pancreas. She had 1/2 of her pancreas, entire spleen & many lymphnodes removes. She had her first chemo last Thursday! One down, a million to go. She once again is showing her amazing positive attitude and radiates hope and faith. What an amazing role model. Please keep my mama in your prayers. Thanks friends
#whatcancerisreallylike #mymomisarockstar #BreastCancer #PancreaticCancer #warrior #faithandhope

Why am i the one maki g sure everyone is pk with it. They think im enjoying this attention
#whatcancerisreallylike

I believe that food is an integral part of the cancer treatment plan. My mother never ate yogurt before in her life till she was diagnosed with cancer. She loved yogurt and fruit and that is the only thing she ate joyfully. What are some foods that you have included in your treatment plan? #whatcancerisreallylike

It's now lunchtime and the nausea hit me like a wall. Keeping it to bland foods today, but mixed with the fatigue starting to hit my body, it's a bit of #SensoryOverload . I also had so much weakness in my left leg that I needed to take a break halfway through my one block walk with my dog.

#Cancer #ThyroidCancer #whatcancerisreallylike #cancerrecovery

See my previous post in this series to follow along: https://themighty.com/content/5bbb91bb4361e100ac5b2cbc/

It's waking up every morning and the first thing you do is take #Medication that you now NEED due to your cancer, and dealing with the emotional impact of reliving that #Trauma every day.

#Cancer #ThyroidCancer #cancerrecovery #MentalHealth

I wish people realized the effects of a cancer diagnosis don’t go away when treatment ends. Physically and emotionally you are never the same. 5 years strong!

Cancer is terrifying. I am an 11 year breast cancer survivor and yet I live with it every day. Treatment scrambled my brain. There are holes in my memory. I suffered from malnutrition because of an unsupportive husband. My body has forever been changed. At the time my family didn't understand and most acted like I had the flu or a head cold. I had no support. And I didn't know where to go to get it. I was alone in my journey. Not so much now. But I live with it every day. The lingering fear of "will it come back"...that fear never ever leaves.

#whatcancerisreallylike ... It's like a dark shadow that kills everything it touches. It takes something that is so beautiful and steals everything from it. It has no prejudice, no love and no mercy at all. I watched my sister-in-law who was also my bestfriend go from a mouthy, loud, loving and amazing woman and turn her into a 79 pound ball of pain. She fought cervical carncer with all she had. She fought hard, but in the end the cancer stole her beautiful life from us. I've never seen anything as merciless and painful as what she went through. So ladies, get your PAP and HPV testing. Cervical cancer is one of the most treatable cancers but only if caught at an early enough stage. So get tested. Your life and the lives of your loved ones may depend on it.