I’m not sure if it’s being middle aged or having had cancer but I lost my mojo somewhere.
I can remember about 25 years ago when I was working as a professional organizer that I never got tired. The people I was working with would have to stop and take a break and I kept going like the energizer bunny.
The folks I was working with said “Wait until you’re older, you’ll slow down”. But I never did. I just kept going and going and going. Until I got cancer.
Then, either cancer affected my energy level in some way (ha, that’s an understatement) or the middle ages set in, but my energy is gone, used up. I can no longer leap tall buildings in a single bound or mow my lawn for that matter.
I suspect some of that is a matter of priorities. Cancer sent me a “Life is too short” message. Life is too short to do things that I hate or that are unbearably hard.
Now, that part is good. Lately though, I shake my head in wonder at how it is other folks get up every morning and move around. Where do they get the energy?
I used to get mine from a couple of diet cokes first thing in the am. Caffeine. A false source of energy that’s not very good for anyone and especially for someone with breast cancer as it causes cysts that mean nothing but can be worrisome.
With the winter, I switched to hot chocolate; from a package. Not much healthier at all and it doesn’t have as much caffeine as diet coke.
So I quit that and drink Chai tea in the am, which I think is healthy but still I am left wondering how other people are able to get up and move about each day.
I started anti-depressants and that helped some. When I am doing acupuncture on a regular basis we work on just that – lining up my Qi so that I am energized. It’s expensive though and with the holidays (and today is a snow day here in Nashville) I’ve missed several weeks and here I sit in my P.J.’s looking for some source of energy.
I was hoping for some suggestions. How’s your energy level? Do you think it’s connected to your cancer or treatment? What do you do to boost your energy level?
Any and all suggestions would be much appreciated.
Monday Night Cancer Club is a Daily Kos group focused on dealing with cancer, primarily for cancer survivors and caregivers, though clinicians, researchers, and others with a special interest are also welcome. Volunteer diarists post Monday evenings between 7-8 PM ET on topics related to living with cancer, which is very broadly defined to include physical, spiritual, emotional and cognitive aspects. Mindful of the controversies endemic to cancer prevention and treatment, we ask that both diarists and commenters keep an open mind regarding strategies for surviving cancer, whether based in traditional, Eastern, Western, allopathic or other medical practices. This is a club no one wants to join, in truth, and compassion will help us make it through the challenge together.