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Profile picture for GetWellSoon26 @vijay26

Q: How do you cope w yourself, your pain, etc., and still keep going and going?
I am a 75 yr old female, who is struggling w cancer and side effects of stroke.
Please help.
Thank you.
VJ

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Replies to "Q: How do you cope w yourself, your pain, etc., and still keep going and going?..."

@vijay26 I can only speak for myself. Live each day as fully as possible. Some days it takes a lot of energy just to get out of bed. Find joy each day, doing something that feeds your soul. It doesn't have to be the same thing each day. Aim for quality of life, not quantity. Do something for others; it makes you feel good about yourself!

My situation is this: I have a non-curable blood cancer called multiple myeloma. I also have end stage renal dis-ease, and am on dialysis everyday. I cannot get a kidney transplant because I would need to get a stem cell transplant for the myeloma first. Except we have determined I would not survive that stem cell transplant. So, my treatment involves dialysis everyday plus the myeloma treatments for the rest of my life. Unless a sudden cardiac event occurs [did I mention that is a complication of my dialysis?] I will eventually decide "no more", and stop everything. There is a DNR in place, and on file with all medical facilities plus on my medical alert bracelet.

It takes a fortitude of belief in yourself, and what mark you want to leave behind, to continue on each day. We all get that. I believe we honor ourselves when we do.
Ginger