Step 7: Plan Ahead

Remission, Recurrence, Planning

After your cancer treatments, you could have a number of of different results. The good news would be that your tretments have been successful and you are in remission. Complete remission means no trace of cancer cells can be detected. Partial remission means the tumor has shrunk to less than half its original size and that continued treatment might lead to complete remission, signifying the total disappearance of the tumor. Because stray cancer cells are difficult to detect, doctors may want to continue chemotherapy or prescribe radiation even after they remove a tumor and/or believe complete remission has been achieved. Another possibility is that the stubborn disease has not responded to treatment, and that you still have cancer. If this is the case, you have to decide whether to attack it with even greater fervor or stop treatment. In either case, you and your personal advocate and CPA if you choose can build programs designed to deal with the next phase of your life.

Remission
Your treatment has been successful. Fantastic. Now itís time to celebrate then get to the work of rebuilding your life mind, body and spirit.

Celebrate being alive
Since you started your cancer treatment, remission has been the goal you've been working toward. Now you are there. Congratulations! Before you go on, however, make sure you savor the moment. Throw yourself another party. Get away for a couple of days. Look in the mirror and welcome yourself back. And take a deep relaxing breath because you're not completely home yet. In fact, you may never be able to relax completely. You will need to first rebuild your body, mind and spirit. You will need to rebuild your life, your relationships, your work and your personal interests. Your gardens (your literal and your figurative gardens) have been neglected and needs watering, weeding, tending, nurturing. Once you have taken back your life, then you have to remain ever vigilant against the return of cancer. Outwitting cancer will, in fact, become part of your life.