Cindy, Your sister is very lucky to have a brother who
is caring so much about her and trying to help so much. You have hit the
nail on the head about where she is as to a form of denial, but it is my belief
that this denial stems from fear and shock.
I have adenocarcinoma of the lung. My right lung
removed and one lymph node was involved. Just as your sister, I received
the news from my surgeon (who I love and trust) that he got it all. What
does that mean, well I now know that means that he got clear margins in removing
the tumor and lung.. so they cut in enough that the cells were
non-cancerous.
Three weeks later I went to see the oncologist and
found out that I was given 30-40% chance of living 5 years and after I feel off
the ceiling, I cried and cried and went into a self imposed exile. I was
here, but I wasn't living. I was thinking, but I wasn't focusing.
Each day was hard to get through and I couldn't think about the future, nor did
I realize that I had any options..
Well, thanks to a good friend, I got my butt kicked off
the couch and I went in search of a second oncologist and ultimately a
third... I also got a book by Greg Anderson "50 Essential Things to
Do When the Doctor Says it is Cancer".. I found this to be concise
and easy to read, while it touched on all of the points I needed to start to
hear... It gave me the thirst to continue to read other books and change
my patterns..
I now juice, take vitamin and herb supplements, get
light exercise, I still read alot, I am seeing a psychiatrist to help me get
through some things and I have learned how to find joy again... Well it
didn't happen overnight, my surgery was last Nov. 3rd... but it did start
happening the end of January... Get her the book and after she is done you
read it too.. There are many others that people will recommend as
well... The greatest thing I remember reading in those days was that
cancer doesn't have to be a death sentence...
Remember too that those odds are taking 100 people of
different ages, different general health conditions, differing attitudes,
differing reactions, different diets, and so on.... putting them together
and reporting on how many were alive after five years... Myself, I choose
to believe that if my so called statistics are 30-40%, then I plan to be on of
the 30-40 people to live... If God has other plans for me, then so it will
be, but I will be living as a cancering survivor until the day that I have
joined God.
I am glad that you found this forum and I hope that you
will find alot of direction and help her.. May God Bless you and your Sister and
fill her with strength and courage and
comfort.... Carla
P.S. ....I would also get additional opinions... for me
on surgeon and oncologist... it was the third opinion that I found my
trust abounding. Your sister also sounds like she is feeling defeated and
without a good doctor that really cares and enlists your trust, then defeat is a
normal feeling... Get her going and give her
love!!
