After you hear one of the most dreaded words anyone can hear, CANCER, the most likely word you really want to hear next from your doctor is remission. You are in remission. Your cancer is in remission.
But what happens if you don’t get that?
You don’t hear those words from your doctor? That word.
I’ve been through a unique experience after two rounds with cancer, of hearing that word once and then being told I would not hear it again after my second cancer go-around.
If you think that seems bit odd or unexpected, I know.
It was determined by the type of cancer I had and the specific circumstances.
What would you do in that situation? We are told and always hear about, and aim for the goal being in remission and getting that news from your doctor. That word. Remission. It is also a frequent question I receive now. Are you in remission?
My situation ended on a positive note, but my doctor explained she could not confirm I had reached that step or at least use that description. I don’t know what has happened for others in a similar journey as me, but I just know what I was told.
I was given official remission status for my non-hodgekin’s lymphoma but my thyroid cancer I wasn’t.
It really makes me think about how much we can emotionally place on hearing one word. One status. One achievement.
If hearing that word come out of my doctor’s mouth was the only motivation I had for pushing through treatment, what did it mean when I didn’t receive it? I could have been devastated.
My doctor obviously knew that so many patients long for that one word, that one goal. I could tell that she was preparing me for news I might not want to hear or might need help understanding.
She did take time to explain why she couldn’t give me that status. She said it was because of the type of cancer and it just wasn’t possible to officially say remission, even if I am cancer-free. So to this day I am not able to actually say I am in remission, but I can say that I am cancer-free which is fundamentally the same thing. At least to me it is.
At that point in my journey I knew I wasn’t searching for that one word for comfort.
There were other details and test results that told me I had reached what I was seeking. That surgery and treatment had been successful. I wasn’t anxiously waiting for that one word to magically finish everything for me and relieve my fears.
I vividly remember both times I received my initial diagnosis. It was in that one instant both times that my world changed and stood still by hearing one word and beginning my journey.
But as I walked through the journeys to the end point, one single word would not affect me the same. What mattered was the result, the success, but not one single word.
So, friend even if you aren’t in this exact circumstance or hoping for this exact word, maybe you are in a situation that you can understand this. Or maybe you won’t understand at all. But that’s ok. How would you handle a situation like this?
Comment below with your thoughts about this or anything else. I would really like to hear your thoughts or your questions. Shoot me a personal message through the contact form on the site. I would love it if you like this enough to share it with others. Please SUBSCRIBE in the box above, it helps you know more of what’s going on.
Melodee Glassford 