I had smoked but had quit by the time I was formally diagnosed. Thank God I didn't have to go through the surgery, radiation, etc at the same time as nicotine withdrawal and menopause. I'm not sure I could hide THAT many bodies without someone noticing!!!

I used to drink casually (when we had company or went out for the evening) but now limit that even more.

The biggest change in my life has been the awareness and acceptance of my mortality, the clarification of my beliefs, and recently achieving a sense of "peace" with the whole process. My anxiety level has dropped dramatically because of this. I love life and am not ready to "shuffle on down the road" - not yet anyway, but this has definitely been the biggest change in my life.

It sure didn't happen overnight, nor did it happen without the wise counsel of some professionals and some very insightful friends and OCF Family! This doesn't mean I won't 'freak out' when next confronted with a crisis, it just means that in time I will re-center myself.

Donna