tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4179516101180622376.post4884139182766311245..comments2024-03-28T00:25:27.585-07:00Comments on Running for My Life: Fighting cancer one step at a time: Illness can make you super-sensitiveRonni Gordonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00036024135497392070noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4179516101180622376.post-70034199759956059962008-11-07T12:51:00.000-08:002008-11-07T12:51:00.000-08:00I must say ,I've been reading your blog every ...I must say ,I've been reading your blog every couple days. I just love how you put everything into perspective.You are one amazing,strong woman! Glad to hear that your getting stronger each & every day. As for Halloween candy. You go girl!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4179516101180622376.post-1192971180809206292008-10-27T20:12:00.000-07:002008-10-27T20:12:00.000-07:00Whatever your "buttons" ou've earned the right to ...Whatever your "buttons" ou've earned the right to protect them from being pushed. <BR/><BR/>With love and thoughts. <BR/><BR/>TammyAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4179516101180622376.post-26963574565829401502008-10-27T07:21:00.000-07:002008-10-27T07:21:00.000-07:00I'm glad you wrote to Angier. I hope you can take ...I'm glad you wrote to Angier. I hope you can take some comfort in knowing her intention was surely not to hurt anyone. Hopefully she'll be grateful for your note.<BR/><BR/>From p253 of Happiness in a Storm:<BR/>"A special challenge to hope is your knowledge of another patient's current misfortune... Even if your disease is responding nicely to current therapy or you are enjoying a remission, learning tha things aren't going well for someone else may shake your hope, especially if that someone is going through similar medical challenges...It may break through to your rational understanding of the bad outcomes that are possible for you...You can imagine only too well what it is like to get bad news... (And) even if you are not too concerned about yourself, your empathy for the particular patient stirs general feelings such as sadness, anger, fear and vulnerability.<BR/><BR/>"Make an effort to distance yourself by focusing on specific differences between you and that patient. Separate your feelings of empathy for the other person from stirred-up feelings about you. If you can, turn your anxiety into heightened appreciation for how well you are doing."<BR/><BR/>Hope this helps a little. With hope,<BR/>WendyWendy S. Harpham, MDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09167276216970598762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4179516101180622376.post-72338370471611677222008-10-26T19:39:00.000-07:002008-10-26T19:39:00.000-07:00Well, I wish I had the similarity of a new MacBook...Well, I wish I had the similarity of a new MacBook I must say!! Just making do with an older Mac laptop!<BR/><BR/>It's 'funny' what you said about reading books that turn out to have a character who is dying/has died/has the same 'disease' that you have. As well as having NHL (in remission thank goodness) many years ago I was diagnosed with MS (although nothing much ever happened and I hardly think of it these days). But - this is a side comment, you would really think that having one of these diseases was enough, wouldn't you!!<BR/><BR/>Anyway, what I was going to say was, that as soon as I got diagnosed with MS, I couldn't walk anywhere without seeing huge posters (last year she was skiing, this year she's in a wheelchair)!! And so many books I picked up, turned out to have someone with it in them!! It was really strange. <BR/><BR/>I don't know that it's happened so much since I've had NHL. But I was really conscious of it with MS, especially in the first few years ... :)susiegbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11676716409243787432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4179516101180622376.post-67226820522192405552008-10-26T07:42:00.000-07:002008-10-26T07:42:00.000-07:00Having survived Hodgkins and my son having survive...Having survived Hodgkins and my son having survived leukemia I got a knot in my stomach reading about that article. I also have an artificial heart valve now which means a blood clot would kill me so I take blood thinners. People can be so insensitive and I applaud you for writing to the paper and letting them see a different perspective other than the author's. I have had people say very insensitive things to me over the years. Only other cancer patients can understand the anxiety button that gets triggered.<BR/>I want a laptop but not sure I can navigate without windows.Nellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06927983874624510031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4179516101180622376.post-51377408121025059512008-10-25T15:20:00.000-07:002008-10-25T15:20:00.000-07:00Chalk up one more similarity between us. I also j...Chalk up one more similarity between us. I also just bought a new MacBook.<BR/><BR/>Are you familiar with Julie Davey's book, "Writing for Wellness?" There was a short article about her in the LA Times, so I emailed her and she recommended her book, as I contemplate writing my own. I have just started reading it, but am enjoying it.<BR/>BillBaby Birdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15199230462844582984noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4179516101180622376.post-68764860519204521452008-10-25T09:02:00.000-07:002008-10-25T09:02:00.000-07:00It's so hard to know what to do. Like you, I'm se...It's so hard to know what to do. Like you, I'm sensitive to hearing or reading about blood disorders. The populace at large knows so little about blood cancers. I've run into it time and again and it's very frustrating.<BR/>Know you're amongst friends who share your feelings and worries too. As my friend Susan once said, "We're good at holding each other's hands."Annhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16214868698905207283noreply@blogger.com