How many of you look at your poop? I must confess I never really did until I had trouble. I knew when I had diarrhea and constipation (I suffered from that chronically for a few years right up to my diagnosis) but it never dawned on me to look what was going on.
One of the (rather two) red flags are blood in the stool and poop that comes out looking like ribbons. I had both.
I found this article in The Huffington Post you might find informative. It might save your life.
Be well!
Inge
Everything begins with a thought. What worked for me during my wellness journey was to think positive thoughts, even if my body felt differently. Have you heard the phrase, “Mind over matter?”
I chose words like, “I feel good. My body is stronger than yesterday. I walked for 20 minutes! That shower sure felt good. I am stronger than I thought possible.”
Words are powerful and so is self-talk. We do it all the time. Have you ever told yourself, “I’m so dumb?” Your subconscious hears that and if you say it often enough, you believe it.
It’s the same thing when you’re dealing with a serious illness. If you tell yourself, “It’s too hard. I feel awful. I hate not being able to do what I want.” Your subconscious hears that and you do feel like crap. Everything feels like a chore and before you know it, you are depressed.
It’s ok to feel bad a couple minutes a day. Cancer does suck!
But don’t let it define you. Focus on what’s going right. You’re still here and that’s a victory! Keep a journal and write down what you are grateful for. Write down what’s going right, even if it seems minor.
Use the Internet to your advantage. There are great videos on YouTube made by ordinary people who want to help people like you and me. Some of them teach people how to visualize themselves doing the fun things they did before they got sick. These videos help the person focus on getting well. Your body doesn’t know the difference between what’s real and what’s going on in your mind. You will feel the same positive emotions through visualization as you would if you were physically doing the action. It worked for me.
You can also write down affirmations:
I am healthy
I am strong
I am happy
I am vibrant
I am grateful
Your mind is a powerful tool to help get over the humps. It worked for me and I am sure, with practice, it will work for you.
Be well,
Inge
How lovely to be nominated for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award by one of my Cancer Warrior Sisters, SeasonedSistah2 I don’t know anything about the origin of this very special peer-nominated form of recognition, but it seems to be thoroughly organic in nature – arising from within the Word Press blogging community.
There are so many blogs I follow (that’s why my house is such a mess… I’m reading all day) that inspire me and SeasonedSistah2 is one of them. Her blog has wonderful stories of perseverance and hope.
The rules for accepting the award are:
1.Thank the blogger who nominated me. (Thank you Sistah!)
2.Place the award on my site.
3.Share seven random things about myself.
4.Nominate other bloggers who inspire me. Let them know they’ve been nominated and how to accept the award.
Well, here are some things you might not know about me …
1. I’m six feet tall.
2. I was a “disco queen” in the 70s.
3. I don’t like camping.
4. I make faces in the bathroom mirror before I go out to speak to a group.
5. I sing and dance to my favorite songs, with the volume turned way up, while I’m driving.
6. I cannot turn down a piece of dark chocolate with almonds.
7. I always wear a costume on Halloween.
I think these blogs rock!
Lijuin
Lisa’s Missing Kidney
Vegans Have Superpowers
Green Drink Diaries
Hardcore Zen
Dangerous Harvests
The Indie Spiritualist
Everyday Roots
Honk if Your Vegan
Chris Beat Cancer
And now you know…
Have a groovalicious day!
Inge
rectalcancermyass 