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I totally hear you. My husband and you have a similar diagnosis, similar side effects, similar ANGER!!!
We truly appreciate his doctors, treatment and LIFE. Our anger doesn�t mean we don't, and we wouldn't want any of his doctors to think otherwise. Each of them did their job, and if it were based just on the fact that the Cancer is gone they did it well. But honestly, any doctor or human would have to admit there�s more to life than a beating heart or breath of air. What about Quality of Life?
When the treatment ends and the radiologist says �good bye�, the chemo nurses are doing their goodbye dance and the surgeon and oncologist say �treatment is complete, we�ll re-check you every three months�, you�re going �Whoa!!!!!!!!!! Wait a minute. I still have issues!� And they�re like �we told you there might be side effects� or �Yes, but the Cancer is gone� or they hand you a stack of tongue depressors to help with your trismus (that wouldn�t be an issue if they told you way back in the beginning make sure you work on your jaw every single day). Don�t� get me wrong. �Cancer Free� alone is huge. Reality can be difficult. But sometimes you�re not given adequate information, support or opportunities to try and help yourself; that�s not reality. Quality of Life is HUGE. You lost some of it.
My husband was asked by a former student of his to be the guest speaker at the Mini Relay for Life she was putting together for her Senior Project. I suggested to him he take a different approach; use this opportunity to educate our community on the unseen or unknown hurdles a Cancer victim encounters throughout their battle. He did, and the audience embraced it (thankfully!) Numerous people approached him, thanking him for sharing what was obviously difficult, and to most unknown. It was risky, because they were most likely looking for something inspiring. But the reality is, as inspiring as winning the battle is, there are scars. Being angry doesn�t mean you don�t appreciate life. Get ticked off; then move on.