A friend shares, This morning I awoke in a panic from extremely real nightmares of my cancer having spread to my brain. Ive had trouble all morning with flashbacks from the dream. Often, I have had people say, Why are you worrying about that? Dont worry about that. Or, Try to think positive and it will be okay. While many believe I am over the top in positive thinking, while some say that I am not positive enough, it is easy to sit on the other side of the fence without understanding what the emotional impact can be. Or maybe a person has been there and what worked for them is challenging to understand that it may not work for others. Regardless of which side of the fence people reside, the trauma is real and the concern is real and there is a balance of positive thinking and reality. We should never dismiss our emotions because it is reality. It is how we feel. The minute we pretend instead of coping with reality is when other problems creep in. Every patient copes in the way that they have to cope in the moment and the best anyone can do is acknowledge and listen. To hear about their challenges and not make it about how the patient is making them feel. More often than not, the reaction that patients receive is due to how the situation is making the support system feel. For those who have not traveled that path, to imagine does not come close to everything involved with the battle. The battle from the perspective of a supporter is also different from the battle from the perspective of a patient. Patients need to be heard to try to cope with what they cope with moment to moment, day to day, week by week, and month to month. Not only do the patients need to be heard, but the supporters and care givers need to be heard too.
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 00:35:51 +0000
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