Getting back to normal

Completing treatment is a positive milestone on our journey.  We want, and expect, life to return to normal after the disruption.  Few of us resume life as it was before.  The person who went into treatment is usually not the same person who comes out of it.  Some, like Lance Armstrong, emerge from cancer to accomplish spectacular feats.  Other celebrities find a new life balance or lifestyle and inspire many survivors.  These celebrities are good role models for hope and for what we can accomplish after cancer.  But---they are the exception.

Our health status after treatment defines our “new normal”.   Reduced physical functioning, from treatment or disease, might limit our activities.  We might have reduced cognitive capacity.  Some women report memory and cognition impairments, known as “chemo fog”, up to a couple of years after treatment.  Some of us may experience a lingering fatigue and loss of energy.

These changes can make us feel awkward, embarrassed, or even inadequate.  It takes awhile to realize that you may never get back to where you were.  Every loss creates an opportunity.  Though we have lost something with the illness, we have gained something with the experience.  Athletes with career-ending injuries often remain in their sport by coaching or managing. 

Our journey can change our perspective.  Many of us look for meaning in our cancer experience.   We might:  re-assess our priorities; try something new that we’ve always wanted to do; live a more balanced and healthy life; spend more time with family; write a book; travel the world; wind-up a career; give back and volunteer; and even do the same as before, but differently.  Cancer celebrities’ high-powered achievements result from their own search for meaning.  Unlike most of us, they are supported by publicists, personal trainers, sponsors and other resources. 

Don’t feel pressured to get back to life as it was.  Take time to accept that things have changed and then re-invent yourself.  The “New You” is the product of your new normal and your new perspective.  Have faith that you will succeed in putting the pieces of your life back together.  However, if your recovery is taking too long, or is affecting those around you, consider getting help.

Once we embrace our “New You”, we can get on with living and embrace our loved ones and our survivorship.