Going through chemo means that you must schedule your entire life around those chemo treatments, not just the days you physically have chemo but all the days around it. You have to worry about if your counts are high enough to be in public, go out of town, be in fresh water, and even go to the dentist.
It is a challenge when I simply want to live my life and not have to be concerned about if my counts are high enough to go out and do something I want or need to do. I want to be able to schedule a vacation with my family and not have to be worried I might end up in the hospital due to fact that my counts were too low and I got sick. I just don't know what my day to day life will be like.
One thing you might not think about needing to worry about is your ability to go to the dentist. About two years ago I was in my aggressive chemo treatment and found out I needed fillings, I never went. I scheduled the appointment but then when I went to go I realized that it would conflict with the week I was typically low and therefore I wasn't able to get the fillings. This time my teeth were bothering me and I knew it was time to get a fillings. This meant that I would need to contact my oncologist and see which day would be appropriate for me to have the procedure. The oncologist's office was great and scheduled me to come in for a blood draw and ensure all of my counts were okay. When I talked to them they said they were mildly concerned about a few numbers but that I should be okay to go on to the dentist. I went in yesterday and the four fillings I needed.
Did you know you the extent that some cancer patients have to schedule their lives around treatment? Please never tell a cancer patient or survivor that their cancer is the easy one. The next time you are picking up the phone to schedule a regular dental appointment, one you don't really want to bother with, you can picture me. You can picture a person who was ready to go in and get fillings but could not just schedule it because of cancer. The impacts of cancer are endless.
It is a challenge when I simply want to live my life and not have to be concerned about if my counts are high enough to go out and do something I want or need to do. I want to be able to schedule a vacation with my family and not have to be worried I might end up in the hospital due to fact that my counts were too low and I got sick. I just don't know what my day to day life will be like.
One thing you might not think about needing to worry about is your ability to go to the dentist. About two years ago I was in my aggressive chemo treatment and found out I needed fillings, I never went. I scheduled the appointment but then when I went to go I realized that it would conflict with the week I was typically low and therefore I wasn't able to get the fillings. This time my teeth were bothering me and I knew it was time to get a fillings. This meant that I would need to contact my oncologist and see which day would be appropriate for me to have the procedure. The oncologist's office was great and scheduled me to come in for a blood draw and ensure all of my counts were okay. When I talked to them they said they were mildly concerned about a few numbers but that I should be okay to go on to the dentist. I went in yesterday and the four fillings I needed.
Did you know you the extent that some cancer patients have to schedule their lives around treatment? Please never tell a cancer patient or survivor that their cancer is the easy one. The next time you are picking up the phone to schedule a regular dental appointment, one you don't really want to bother with, you can picture me. You can picture a person who was ready to go in and get fillings but could not just schedule it because of cancer. The impacts of cancer are endless.
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