Three male friends who have received chemotherapy treatment for different cancers have phoned in the last two weeks. I have found it very helpful and useful to listen to their stories of their experiences with chemo. All of them are well, which is wonderful and may they continue to be well.
Some have advised about our home arrangements. We have found this more difficult to receive this advice and found it a bit traumatic. I think we are more sensitive to some things than others. Your concern about our home arrangements is for my ease of getting to a bathroom and moving around our two-storey home. One simple suggestion arising from these discussions is having a urinal bottle beside my bed. We have purchased one and, at night, it has already been helpful when the bathroom is occupied. Love those simple solutions!
Reflecting on receiving advice Barbara and I have realised that several of you have been providing us with advice over a number of years and up to twenty years for one or two of you. You have been living in situations where you and/or one or more close relatives have been dealing with serious health issues. Typically, you have shared your stories along the way, explaining how you have coped with difficult times, how you have worked with the medical system, how you have had to advocate better care, how arrangements have been made at home to assist with care, how you have lived with grief.
We have listened to these stories, which we can now recall to assist us. On reflection we realise we have even made decisions about things we would follow and things we would do differently. Thank you to those of you who have shared these journeys with us as your story telling over time is a very powerful way of receiving helpful advice from your experiences.
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