Monday, April 10, 2006

Look after your mind and your partner

I woke up the morning bright and early. The sun is shining and my 2 little babes are tucked up in bed.

One would normally expect that I would be looking forward to Summer, looking forward to the balmy nights and long days.

Alas how wrong you could be. The summer brings back memories 12 months ago I was still unsure what the lump in my neck was. I had no idea it was cancer. My online studies had never picked up mouth cancer and a secondary node filled with cancer cells. I had to wait one more month before knowing for sure I had cancer.

I was tidying the garden over the weekend and the memories fled back, the pain, the place where I sat in the sun last year. I tried to keep positive but as I have said before the mental stress and strain of cancer sometimes in greater than the physical.

In a research carried out by Macmillan the cancer charity I saw at the weekend indicated that the stress of cancer treatment and its after effects can have a devastating effect on relationships.
In part of the study 25% of those replied indicated that their relationship had actually broken up.

I think myself lucky but also sad that I was single during the trauma there was no one to upset, no one to change a relationship with, no one to steal the limelight off, or remembering my mother no one to become the centre of attention even though my father was dying.

Macmillan have decided to rebrand themselves and move towards an organisation that sees them focus more on pastoral and mental care. I wish them luck. I have written before about the mental damage cancer does, in hindsight if I knew about the effects of treatment I would even more scarred than I am now.

Mind you perhaps we should not worry about cancer, the radio news, which I adore conjuring up images of the stories being told tell us that Bush is off to "nuke" Iran and no more Swans have revealed themselves as carriers of the plague.

As a result I am off to Pennywell Farm to prod, smile, and stroke small furry animals to the delight of my babes who have just gave me huge hugs and kisses. Hey perhaps Summer will not be that bad after all :)

Have a good day.

Ferryman

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

A small, trivial, antidote to stress...enjoy someone elses! This actually happened last night.

Picture it...and I'm NOT joking.

Car draws up outside house. Out gets people who might buy my Fiat Punto.

Take Punto out for test drive with prospective new owners in passenger seat and in the back. I'm driving because they are not insured to drive mine.

I Reverse MY car INTO , that's INTO, their car.

Silence.

One knackered wheel arch, terminal embarresment...and they didn't buy my car!

L