Please don’t tell me I am on a journey!

[Julia]

I don’t understand why cancer is called a journey? A journey to me involves a plane to somewhere with sunshine, preferably with a pool and on tap cocktails.

I haven’t been anywhere except appointments, and the only cocktails involved were chemo, movicol, and coloxyl 

I am still looking for the pool!

[LindaG]

Hi Julia, I guess it’s one of those words that has taken on a new meaning! I would definitely choose the plane…….  Etc!!  It’s just a difficult time with the cancer treatment and I hope you have family and friends helping you get through it. 🙏💕

[Julia]

Thank you Linda,

I have had to accept a whole new language, Meditation, Mindfulness, gratitude diary, deep breathing, anything ending in “ologist”, 

And of course Centrelink, Adapting to a “new way of being” is hard when you liked the old way of being, and the new way is not flash!
Someone sent me an article saying I” became a better person through cancer.” But the other one pre cancer seemed ok!

[sch]

Hi @Julia 

I guess everyone is different. We all have different psychological ways of trying to get through it and come out the end, hopefully relatively unscathed and with at least some of our sanity left.

For some people it was a journey, for me it was most certainly a fight.

You can read through individual stories on the online community, and there's a few more over here;

https://www.cancer.org.au/personal-cancer-stories

(ps - I hope the water is nice when you find that pool)

[Jennifer66]

Hard to know what to call this cancer thing!  I must admit I don’t  mind the ‘journey’ word, although not the one we want to be on, mine has been 11 months, l jjust had my second chemo yesterday with three more to go then I go on my real ‘journey’ a cruise holiday that was booked nearly two years ago never knowing this ‘C journey’ would enter my life, although not the path doctors wanted, in their words a high risk for hopefully high reward; which will get me through my holiday then my seventh surgery, so I will be going on my real journey with the cocktails and a pool in three weeks 

[LindaG]

Hi Jennifer. Well done getting through all your treatments 👏. So happy for you that you can finally go on your holiday in a few weeks 💕. LindaG 

[Julia]

Hi Jennifer,

i hope you have a wonderful time on your real journey. Enjoy every minute 😘😘

[Julia]

I have to say though my very favourite thing to do between or even treatments is a visit to Centrelink! Or preparing reems of  paper detailing every possible aspect of our lives. IF EVER THERE WAS SOMETHING TO SEND YOU SCREAMING to the psychologist its an application for funding. I was advised to apply for job seeker! But I couldn’t work due, to treatment a surgery. So I was exempt from looking for a job! Every fortnight submitted my earnings and got …………0, zip, nada!
afrer 13 weeks I received a letter. 
dear Julia, you will no longer receive jobseeker payments as you haven’t received jobseeker payments for 13 weeks  🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️
So I would no longer receive the payments I never had! And that took am40:pagemapplication 😂😂🤣🤣

[Jennifer66]

Hi Julia 

thanks for you kind wishes, I have three chemo treatments to go then two days later we go on our holiday ‘journey’ the treatments although not what the doctors wanted will get me through my holiday then when we get back 7th surgery in 12 months and hopefully the high risk had high reward

and that Centrelink ‘journey’ has been mine this year as well, for different reasons, although I also could not work anymore I retired and then went through the ‘aged pension’ application that would leave me tears after every visit and phone call, I then emailed my federal member seeking help and application was approved in record time 

[Julia]

Hello,

Aren’t the 60 day prescriptions fantastic. Cost savings for a chronic condition!👍 Unless you  have Cancer that is! Well anything but Breast Cancer.

Not one single medication I take is covered! 
How Can that be? 
having Cancer is depressing but anti-depressants aren’t covered! Then there are the pain killers…not

covered, the anti-emetics..not

covered, the antacid meds…not

Covered and on  and on it goes!

just saying that’s all.

its an expensive “journey” and no flights involved!

Julia 

[Jennifer66]

Hi Julia 

so sorry that you will not receive any benefits, nothing seems to be ever designed to help people who could do with  some cost savings , and I know exactly what you mean about this , journey, it does  go on and on with expenses, maybe we could get a smile without the expenses of the flight and the hassles that it can even bring 

[BadWolf73]

Sadly it is a journey though, and the fam gets to come for free…..it’s so freaking insidious 

[Jennifer66]

Hi BadWolf73

absolutely family and friends come along for the free ride, unfortunately many soon jump 

off !!!