Mind + Body Archives - Page 6 of 21 - Cactus Cancer Society

The Look What Cancer Stole From Me Petting Zoo

This post was lost in our drafts and written over a year ago, while I was getting ready to move from Central Illinois to California. I stumbled across it while taking care of some of our website backend and thought I’d share it…even outdated as it is (I’m completely situated in California now…goodness moving is tough).

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I am moving soon. By soon, I mean VERY soon. While I’ll definitely go into more details later this summer, suffice it to say that I have a lot on my plate this week. The plan was to pack and work until I dropped, get the house ready (and dog proofed) for someone to stay in it and watch the pups, go on vacation, and then get back this week and pack until the move.

Well I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off, I packed and worked, the house was cleaned and straightened, I went on an awesome vacation, and now I’m back home….with a full blown sinus infection AND pink eye. (Seriously though, who gets pink eye at 29 years old?!)

I am experiencing my last chunk of time in a community where I have lived for almost 11 years, trying to say goodbye to dear people, and lovingly pack up the rest of my belongings… and instead of being able to do this on my own terms, I am on antibiotics, contagious, and not feeling very well. This lack of control over my health and my environment makes me frustrated and frantic. I can feel the rest of my stuff vibrating behind the closet doors, screaming to be packed into nicely rectangular boxes.

Don’t you love plans? As a young adult cancer survivor, I can tell you that plans are just beautifully drawn outlines of what we’d like to happen in a perfect world. But you know what? This world isn’t perfect. So, I’ll level with you. My sinus infection and even my pink eye are not cancer’s fault. So much else in my life feels like cancer’s fault that I often jumble it all together into a look-what-cancer-stole petting zoo of sorts.

There, at the petting zoo, I can arrange all of the things that cancer stole and took and bribed away and pinched and squandered, while I stare in amazement at the whole of my life and it’s possibilities, both lost and intact.

I want to enjoy my last moments in this wonderful home of mine. I want to do it on my own terms and in my own time. And I most assuredly want to do it without my head throbbing and my eyeballs being contagious.

That is what the cancer stole petting zoo evokes in me. This melodramatic approach to living where every second counts and yet this strong need to understand the purpose of the second pushes forward. While I can wish I were healthier at this exact moment and sit here feeling pitiful, the seconds of my time in Central Illinois tick by. While my pulsing sinuses keep the boxes from being packed, I have a choice. Even with the look-what-cancer-stole petting zoo looming from the distance, I can realize that this moment is mine to do with as I wish. While reality gets it’s awful chance to climb on into the boat, I can assess the situation and choose to take care of myself. I can realize that cancer was here, and has a presence at the table (as does my sinus infection and my pink eye), but that my heart and self-care also have a place set. So, with compassion and care, I will move forward into this week of packing and add dashes of love and self-care along the way.

How do you add self-care into your stressful moments, either cancer or non-cancer related?

Waffles

Waffles are a quick and easy breakfast, lunch, or dinner. This recipe from FoodNetwork, is great but if you switch out some of the ingredients you can make the recipe easier and add some protein along the way. Double win!

You’ll need:

– 2 cups all-purpose flour

– 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

– 3/4 teaspoon baking soda

– 3/4 teaspoon salt

– 3/4 cup Greek yogurt (make sure it is actual Greek yogurt and not Greek “style” yogurt. You can often find real Greek yogurt with almost 20 g of protein per serving)

– 2 large eggs

– 3/4 cup milk

– 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

– 1 stick unsalted butter, melted

– t tablespoons packed dark brown sugar

Mix the dry ingredients (the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt) in a medium bowl. Whisk the Greek yogurt, eggs, milk, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Then add the butter and the beaten eggs to the liquid ingredients. Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until just combined.

Make according to the instructions for your waffle maker.

These are super yummy and not so bad for you either!

Do you have a favorite waffle recipe?

caregiver family and friends patient survivor yum

Easy Peasy Applesauce

Fall is here. The season of pumpkin spice, cooler weather, changing leaves, and…APPLESAUCE!

With apples, a touch of water, and a dash of sugar and cinnamon we arrive at a lovely snack, breakfast, or dessert. Easy to eat when your stomach is on the fritz and a very healthy addition to any day.

To check out how we made our delicious, homemade applesauce, go here.

apples applesauce caregiver fall recipes patient survivor

Don’t Apologize For Having Fun

I recently ran across this article, written by a young woman who suffers from chronic illness. Many young adult cancer survivors are left with lasting side effects from their cancer and the treatments involved, including chronic illnesses. Hiding behind a veil of sickness can sometimes seem easier than attempting to live a full and happy life though, as people start to ask questions when “so many” “carefree” photos of you show up on social media. How is it, in a time when everyone and their mother is on social media posting the happiest photos of their days, we can still forget that there is more to life? There is pain, and sadness, and loneliness, and worry that we often hide from the world of social media.

“Someone’s ignorance and unkind judgments had made me feel guilty about enjoying my life to the best of my ability…”

Check out the full article here. It is a wonderful read.

caregiver chronic illness family and friends patient survivor

A First Timer’s Go At Meditation

I’ve been told again and again that meditation is great. I’ve attended a talk by the wonderfully gifted founder of True North Treks where he explained exactly how accessible meditation is and how awesome its health benefits are. I even downloaded this app a few months ago. Then I moved to a new place where I knew almost no one and tried my best to help my family adjust to a new part of the country and a new way of life. Carving out a few minutes of each day to be mindful and meditate seemed easy enough but I never actually acted on it.

I finally decided that I needed to make a new and positive change. I realized that I was almost always tense in this new place. I stayed at home more often than not because staying there with my two pups felt most familiar. Even at my new home, I felt anxious, distracted, and searching for even more distraction. So far, I hadn’t been able to just sit and feel calm and relaxed in my new environment. Something needed to shift. Small hiccups in my day would produce tears. One small unwanted change in the flow of my day and my entire sense of personal stability would be derailed.

Enter Headspace. Thanks to their Get Some / Give Some program, Lacuna Loft has been given free subscriptions to their guided meditations that we’re giving to young adult cancer survivors or caregivers that you can access from your computer or smart phone. (If you want one and you’re a young adult cancer survivor or caregiver, go here!)

My first 10 days of meditating were life changing… 10 minutes of calm and focus and breathing makes a world of difference in my day. Then I moved onto the next 10, and the next.

Simple enough right! Start with 10 minutes, for 10 days. Then you can use your free subscription to move onto the other great, guided meditation sessions Headspace provides.

Let us know how meditating works for you!

caregiver chronic illness Headspace meditation partnership patient self-care survivor

10 Life Lessons Learned From Running

Life lessons show up in the most unlikely places. These are the 10 life lessons I have learned from running…

1. drink water
Being hydrated just makes your whole day that much better and more manageable, running or no running. Seriously! I carry around a liter nalgene water bottle with me at all times. My goal is to drink at least two of the full bottles each day.

2. if you eat a doughnut for breakfast, eat something healthy for lunch

Ever try and do something active after only consuming carbs, fat, and sugar for breakfast? Yea, it doesn’t go well. Still, I didn’t used to eat doughnuts until after I was diagnosed with cancer and now they are one of my favorite Saturday morning treats. And since everything is better in moderation, I balance out a morning of sugary wonder with a healthy and balanced lunch. Know what is an easy and healthy balance to a morning of sweets? Green smoothies!

3. some days are good and some days aren’t

Some days you’re going to wake up on the wrong side of the bed for no reason, and some days life will be smooth sailing. This is how it goes in running and in life. Be kind to yourself on the off days…tomorrow will be much better.

4. some things in life hurt and some things in life don’t

Running is tough, no doubt about it. No ifs, ands, or buts. Living through cancer treatments and into survivorship is hard too. Sometimes life will be easy and sometimes it won’t be. You can do it though…and we can help whenever you need it.

5. if it is raining, wear rain gear. If it is sunny, wear sunscreen

Preparing for what lies ahead is always a good plan. In running this means planning for the weather and condition where you’ll be hitting the pavement or the trail…in life, this means figuring out what you need and trying to plan ahead to take care of yourself. Ask for help, remember sunscreen, and be nice to yourself.

6. drink water

I cannot repeat this enough…it could seriously be all ten tips. As my mother used to say, Fluids are our friends.

7. take a buddy

Everything is better with a friend. Whether you’re out exercising or heading to chemo, take a companion to help ease the load.

8. it’s always fun to go outside

Being in the outdoors just tends to reset all of my stresses. Do you have a place that does this for you? Get some fresh air every once in a while and life will feel so much better.

9. sometimes a shower solves everything

I grew up a dedicated swimmer. Ever since then, water has always been a place of peace and calm for me. Whenever I feel in a funk, if a pool isn’t nearby, I take a shower. It’s the perfect reset button.

10. start with a brisk walk

Sometimes giving yourself permission to take it slow, fixes everything. Stressing about going out for that run? Taking that meeting? Heading to chemo? Start with a brisk walk, or by taking a shower, or by packing your chemo bag. Little steps to get you to your final destination go a long way.

P.S. Life lessons learned from my dogs

caregiver patient survivor

Swimwear After Breast Cancer

Shopping for a bathing suit can bring even the most confident woman to tears, so just imagine how that experience is magnified when shopping for swimwear after breast cancer. No matter what your body type, shopping for a bathing suits has to be one of the most frustrating experiences — right up there with shopping for jeans. As a breast cancer survivor, my body is not what is once was and nothing quite fit like it used to. My breast have been removed and expanders now reside where those soft lumps once perched. In addition to my missing breasts, I am sporting long scars that stretch diagonally across each chest wall and my armpits are now deep caverns where breast tissue used to fill. As summer approached, my itsy bitsy bikinis lay taunting me from my closet drawer. Coming to terms with my new body has been hard enough, I just didn’t feel comfortable climbing into one of those bikinis just yet. So, what would I wear!? I refused to avoid all the water fun that summer brings and I wanted something that would still make me feel like the fun, confident 28 year old I am. So, I dragged my butt to the stores and began the hunt for swimsuits that would help me find some semblance of body confidence during this awkward time.

Anything with underwire or “cups” was out because my chest no longer has a shape that will fill out a cup and the underwire digs into my scars and sensitive chest wall. My slowly swelling expanders were having none of those perfectly formed shapely tops and needed a soft stretchy surrounding instead. So, I turned my attention to one-piece suits with halters and no forced chest shapes. Anything to take the attention away from my awkward side/top boob and lots of ruching to disguise my chemo 10 (a cousin of the freshman 15). I am happy to report that I have been very successful on this hunt and I wanted to share this knowledge with my fellow survivor in the same boat.

Check out these survivor-friendly suits and let me know which styles work for you!

Find it here!

breast cancer mastectomy swimsuit patient style after cancer survivor swimwear

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

These muffins are my absolute favorite. That’s probably influenced by the fact that I have fond memories of my mother making them when I was growing up. Still, these are easy to make and delicious. They are a great snack when you’re feeling crummy and just generally easy food for cancer treatment or survivorship. The original recipe is for banana chocolate chip bread but I always make them into muffins. I often cut out some of the sugar and use 3 bananas instead of measuring a single cup…the more bananas in my opinion, the better. 🙂 You could always adapt the recipe by adding nuts or dried cranberries though I’m partial to the chocolate chips myself.