I had the rare opportunity yesterday to chat with an old friend on the phone for well over an hour. It was day two of my chemo treatment and I decided to spend my time in the chemo chair, on the phone with a girlfriend. She asked me a question that I am sure some others may wonder about as well. She asked me if I felt contradictory (on this blog and in life) when I endorse all things natural for family life yet I am going through Chemotherapy.
Wow! Good question. I have often wondered how newbies to this blog might feel if the first or second post they see on a blog about “natural” stuff inlcuded talk of chemo and some of the nastiest chemicals you can put in your body.
Well, here is my answer. Yes, I do feel contradictory. There is nothing “natural” about chemotherapy and I would be elated if I did not have to got through it. I had a lot of big decisions I had to make when my cancer diagnosis was made and the biggest motivator in my decision to put my trust in conventional medicine was the fact that my cancer had already reached metatasis…it had already spread beyond the original site. A few weeks or months longer and the Doctors may have been telling me that Chemotherapy would not even be able to help me. That thought was very scary.
Until that point I had not really put much trust in conventional medicine except in the case of emergencies of course. BUT suddenly it seemed as though not doing chemo would be like rubbing a limb with arnica to heal a fractured bone. I needed to react quickly and in this scenario I decided conventional medicine and alternative medicine did not have to be mutually exclusive. I decided to apply both.
I am happy to say that my second week of Chemo went much better then the first, most likely thanks to several alternative and complimentary therapies. I have been drinking some wonderful herbal teas and raw milk as well. Other then being tired I felt pretty much the same as usual….a far cry from two weeks ago. All in all, I know that my choice to go through Chemo is not the most “natural” choice and some may disagree with it but considering the fact that I did not have time on my side and I have three little ones who need me I know I made the best decision for me and for my family. And this experience has taught me that living a natural life is the MOST important thing you can do for your health…if I had known years ago what I know now, it may very well be possible that I would not have found myself in this situtaion in the first place. In fact I am sure of it. But I didn’t lead a very natural life for many years and now I am back peddling. I have hit a roadblock right now but I will get past it and I look farward to other side. :)
