Book Club: Planet Cancer, Chapter 4

cancer side effects

Welcome to the comments and discussion of Chapter 4: Side Effects of the book, Planet Cancer!  Catch up on Chapter 1: Diagnosis, Chapter 2: Getting Your C-Legs, and Chapter 3: Treatment!

Let’s get started!  Chapter 4!

Carly:

There are some parts of cancer that really suck. You can include side effects in that category. Honestly, once I read the titles of all the chapters, this was the one I was least looking forward to. Because really, who wants to remember the not-so-fun parts?

However, I was pleasantly surprised – this chapter was fantastic. Does it talk about all the gorey details? Yep. Puking, constipation, man boobs, chemo brain, and lots more. Does it offer outstanding advice and tips on how to manage your side effects? Yes! And then some.

As the chapter stated, there isn’t a cure-all for side effects that works for everyone. There are a hundred different things that you can try – some may work, some might not. But as the saying goes, you don’t know what you don’t know. So why not learn about as many ideas/tips as you can (especially the alternative terms for vomiting – fun!) and have them in your back pocket for when the time comes?

I should also note – this chapter is just as important for caregivers as it is for cancer patients. Knowing all the symptoms and side effects as a caregiver can greatly impact your care of the patient. I wish I had read this book when we were taking care of my aunt. It certainly would have made things easier to understand.

Cheryl:

Side effects – I really like how the book structured this chapter to include different tips and advice from those who have been there. Having never had to deal with chemo myself, I can’t comment on all of the side effects and various ways to deal with them, but I do have to say that it seems that this chapter includes a lot of little details to help those undergoing chemo.

I was a little disappointed to see that the chapter did focus mostly on the chemo side effects since in my case I had a different type of treatment (surgery and then radioactive iodine) that had it’s own variations of the side effects described. The description of cancer-related fatigue really hit home for me as did the the idea of “chemo brain” – though in my case I tell people I suffer from “radioactive brain!”

I really enjoyed the little story at the end about “cyberchondria” – I could totally related to that! Dr. Google and I have gone from BFFs to sworn enemies (and then back to BFFs) throughout my cancer journey. I know all too much how easy it is to take one little issue or thought and google it to hell before coming up with the worst possible diagnosis ever. Glad to hear I’m not alone in doing that!

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Thanks for joining us for our first book club of Planet Cancer! To see what you’ve missed, check out Chapter 1: Diagnosis, Chapter 2: Getting Your C-Legs, and Chapter 3: Treatment.  Join in two weeks on Monday, August 17th for Chapter 5: Staying Sane.

If you’re just joining us, here are some logistics:

We will talk about a chapter each Monday until the book is done.  Then, we’ll use one more Monday to talk about general feelings from the book and anything else you’d like to discuss.  We’ll also have a great “meet the author” post coming up!  Join in, in the comments every week!  Also, there will probably be spoilers.  Read along with us!

Book Club: Planet Cancer, Chapter 3

planet cancer book

Welcome to the comments and discussion of Chapter 3: Treatment of the book, Planet Cancer!  Catch up on Chapter 1: Diagnosis and Chapter 2: Getting Your C-Legs!

Let’s get started!  Chapter 3!

Mallory:

This chapter serves as a great crash-course in cancer treatment.  It goes through different types of treatment possibilities and what it is like to be in a clinical trial, go through radioactive iodine treatment (and have glowing pee!), have a port implanted, have a colostomy, and more.  The real life stories really draw you in and offer an intimate look into a piece of the individual’s cancer journey.  One of the contributors, as explained in his bio, passed away before the publishing of the book and upon reading this, I found tears come to my eyes.  I felt as if I had lost a good, even if brief, new friend.  The Planet Cancer book lends itself, once again, as reference book as well as young adult peer support mechanism.

Chapter 3 of the Planet Cancer book also discusses an interesting piece to the young adult cancer puzzle that I had never considered before: your oncologist.  There is a brief, yet very intriguing personal account from an oncology physician meeting a young adult patient for the first time.  The thought process of the oncology doctor is empathetic, compassionate, and gives a great glimpse into the other side.

Carly:

The treatment chapter. I was looking forward to this chapter thinking that there would be some good stories and advice shared. I wasn’t disappointed – lots of great information.

I always find this part of having C to be where people are most curious. Yeah, they understand you have C, but they want to know exactly what’s going on. And frankly, it’s hard to explain if they aren’t seeing it first hand. Days are different. Heck, minutes to hours are different. Describing the process and your feelings can be difficult. Especially if those asking the questions haven’t experienced treatment themselves or been a caretaker – their questions are based on what they’ve heard from others, read online, seen on TV, or just have no clue about. But as the book stated, each person’s treatment plan is different. And that’s important to remember.

I appreciated this chapter (especially for people just trying to getting a better understanding of C) because it explains the many different types and processes of each treatment type – chemotherapy, radiation, surgery, and others. Chemo isn’t “just chemo”, it’s so many other things. Same for all the others. Different options, different combinations, different side effects, and different results.

Scars. I was a little disappointed to not see more about scars especially since a large chunk of this section was about how to cover them up. Perhaps that will come later in the book? Instead of worrying about your scar(s) and how to cover it/them up, I wish more would have been focused on accepting and embracing your scar(s). I refer to mine as Franken-scars.

Clinical trials. People read and see so many things on TV about clinical trials. There are a lot of misconceptions so it was good to see the chapter address some of the biggest myths (e.g. it is a myth that health insurance will not cover the costs of a clinical trial).

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Thanks for joining us for our first book club of Planet Cancer! To see what you’ve missed, check out Chapter 1: Diagnosis and Chapter 2: Getting Your C-Legs.  Since Chapter 3 was a bit longer (and Chapter 4 isn’t so shabby either), we’ll skip a week and rejoin the book club on Monday, August 3rd for Chapter 4: Side Effects.

If you’re just joining us, here are some logistics:

We will talk about a chapter each Monday until the book is done.  Then, we’ll use one more Monday to talk about general feelings from the book and anything else you’d like to discuss.  We’ll also have a great “meet the author” post coming up!  Join in, in the comments every week!  Also, there will probably be spoilers.  Read along with us!

Book Club: Planet Cancer, Chapter 2

Planet Cancer

Welcome to the comments and discussion of Chapter 2: Getting Your C-Legs of the book, Planet Cancer!  To catch up on Chapter 1: Diagnosis, click here!

Let’s get started!  Chapter 2!

Mallory:

This chapter was extremely informative.  It gives detailed advice and tips on how to navigate so many pieces of the cancer diagnosis and treatment.  Being well informed about your options, bills, scans, treatments, medicines, and insurance is crucial to being able to advocate for yourself and your needs.  Physicians may sometimes not talk to one another fast enough between your appointments and having details about your new meds, notes about questions that arise, and knowing what decisions have been made thus far will help you to keep everyone on your Planet Cancer on the same page.  You are the one most motivated by your care and taking charge of the paper and confusion is important to your sanity, your piece of mind, and your health.

The initial round of tests involved in a diagnosis are typically the Complete Blood Count Test (CBC) and various types of body scans.  The CBC is explained, item by item and the different types of scans, from X-Rays to CT and PET scans, are differentiated to better illuminate the role they play in your diagnosis or while your progress with treatment is monitored.  Everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the different types of catheters are explained…both the internal and external variety.  Knowing what you have is a helpful tip when you’re dealing with a nurse who is new to you.

Chapter 2 of Planet Cancer also discusses the different people that you’ll interact with and exactly how you can call upon each of them to help you, from social workers to health insurance representatives.  Each of these people may not play an active role in your week-to-week as a cancer patient/survivor but knowing who you need to ask a specific question to may save you some time and stress in the long run.  The chapter also talks about how to keep track of all of the bills, questions, and notes that you’ll have from the hospitals and physicians.  Your radiologist may bill you separately from your oncologist and the bills may be taken care of by your insurance at different times.  Having an organizational strategy to deal with all of the paper you’ll have during cancer is crucial.  In addition to that are all of the medicines and treatments that you’ll need to stay on top of.  But what if you don’t have insurance?  Well, Chapter 2 of the Planet Cancer book talks about that too!

**It is important to note that some of the insurance specifics have changed since the publishing of this book.  Please see Triage Cancer’s website or the Health & Human Service’s website to get up to date information!

I had high expectations for this book but I’ve been super impressed.  The completeness with which the authors deal with cancer as a young adult has been astounding to me.  If you know nothing and read this book, you will leave armed and ready with the required information or at least the required know-how to get your questions answered!  Dealing with Planet Cancer as a young adult is stressful enough, now you are ready with the techniques and tips to manage your care!

Carly:

This chapter is SO IMPORTANT. It’s a good guide for the acronyms and C-talk you’ll hear.

All the conversations/words/tests/procedures can get confusing. Do you pick it up over time? Sure. But knowing things ahead of time can be so valuable. From blood cells to scans and catheters to ultrasounds, this chapter provides easy-to-understand descriptions and gives some good tips while taking these things on.

The chapter referenced this a few times but I feel as though I should repeat it – bring a notebook and pen to every appointment, test, and procedure (no, the notes app on your smartphone won’t cut it). Write down as much as you can. This will not only help you remember what was said, but it will help you formulate questions for a future appointment or if you need to call and ask/confirm anything.

A helpful tip: a C folder or binder. At my first appointment, I was given a folder that would eventually become my C bible – it went with me everywhere and it contained all my appointment/test/procedure summaries, insurance docs, and more. It helps to have everything in one place because you never know what you’ll need to refer back to or when (e.g. while on the phone with your insurance company sorting out payments).

A small, but important part of this chapter talks about living wills and the medial power of attorney – things everyone should at least consider and hopefully take action on.

Side note: you don’t have to have C to have a living will or medical power of attorney. Life throws curve balls all the time so it’s important to think about what you’d want and take action to make sure it’s implemented (as the chapter said, notes on the back of a Starbucks napkin won’t do).

I also really appreciated the thoroughness of the insurance world – an experience that can be both rewarding and challenging. The personal stories were fun to read and very relatable. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do (remember, you are fighting for your life).

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Thanks for joining us for our first book club of Planet Cancer! To see what you’ve missed, check out Chapter 1: Diagnosis.  Join in next Monday for Chapter 3: Treatment.

If you’re just joining us, here are some logistics:

We will talk about a chapter each Monday until the book is done.  Then, we’ll use one more Monday to talk about general feelings from the book and anything else you’d like to discuss.  We’ll also have a great “meet the author” post coming up!  Join in, in the comments every week!  Also, there will probably be spoilers.  Read along with us!

Our Founder On The Stupid Cancer Show!

the stupid cancer show

Did you know that there is an awesome radio show just for young adult cancer survivors and caregivers?  It’s a weekly radio show/podcast/dose of awesomeness put on by Stupid Cancer called the Stupid Cancer Show.

I had a great time talking with Matthew Zachary, Founder and CEO of Stupid Cancer, last week.  He is a dynamic personality who immediately makes you feel at ease and excited to be present.  I met him at the Critical Mass conference last year and then again at CancerCon a few months ago.  We talked about my past as a Rocket Scientist, going from being a caregiver to being a cancer survivor, Matthew’s current series in the US News & World Report, fertility and emotional support, and so much more.  Connecting with other young adult cancer survivors is a powerful thing…whether you’re in person, online, or on a radio show.

More about the show in general…

“Produced by Stupid Cancer, the Stupid Cancer Radio Show is a multi-award-winning talk radio podcast that has given voice to the young adult cancer movement and elevated the cause into the global spotlight.”

You can hear the whole episode here or here!  The entire episode (and the whole series of episodes) is super informative and entertaining.

Book Club: Planet Cancer, Chapter 1

Planet Cancer

The time has come!  Our first book club has begun of Planet Cancer!  I first proposed this back in March, and then firmly announced our start date in June.  Since then I’ve talked with a number of young adult survivors and caregivers about this book and about other possible titles for future book clubs.  I’m really excited about this project and about chatting together about young adult cancer and its complications.

If you are just getting on board, are interested in reading Planet Cancer along with us, and are also interested in having your thoughts and comments on each chapter published here on Lacuna Loft, email me at mallory@lacunaloft.com!  I can send you an autographed copy of the book!  (first come, first serve)  If I’m out of autographed copies of the book, you can still join in and have your thoughts broadcast here.

Ok, the last of the logistics from me: we will talk about a chapter each Monday until the book is done.  Then, we’ll use one more Monday to talk about general feelings from the book and anything else you’d like to discuss.  We’ll also have a great “meet the author” post coming up!  Join in, in the comments every week!  Also, there will probably be spoilers.  Read along with us!

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Let’s get started!  Chapter 1!

Mallory:

This book seems awesome to me so far.  The first chapter, Diagnosis, talks about just that, everything having to do with your diagnosis.  From the moment that you’re told about your cancer, to the must do activity of getting a second opinion, to asking (and asking again if you need to) about fertility saving techniques before starting treatment, to the day you start researching your diagnosis (or decide not to), to having a potential misdiagnosis…this first chapter covers everything related to your initial diagnosis.

The personal stories were very relatable and the specific suggestions were spot on with things that I found helpful during my own diagnosis.  They go from topic to topic with ease, working in actionable items and tips, along with personal accounts from other young adult cancer survivors.  The fact is that glossing over asking about things like second opinions or fertility saving techniques may seem easier than doing the work and asking at the time of diagnosis…but you WILL want to get all of the information that you can as early as you can get it.  I actually didn’t want a second opinion (which the book emphasizes is VERY important) but scheduled one in the city where I grew up in order to appease my husband.  Sure enough, at that larger hospital there was a clinical trial that saved me from radiation treatments all together…(a great time for long term health, statistically).

(Another note and tip: when scheduling a second opinion, it is important to actually be referred (and use the phrase referral) when calling about the appointment.  Otherwise you won’t jump up to the top of their availability and might be looking at a chat with that second opinion physician months, instead of weeks, later).

One thing that was not mentioned, that horrible time between diagnosis and treatment, affectionately referred to as the Oh Shit Window (OSW).  Maybe this will be discussed later on?  I’m looking forward to the next chapter.  This would have been a great resource to have had during my diagnosis and initiation into Young Adult Cancerhood.

Carly:

The first thing I read in Chapter 1? Remember this: It’s completely understandable if your wits go AWOL upon hearing the C-word.

What a good reminder. Because at the very second you hear the C-word, you P-A-N-I-C. And then you go into shock. And then you say to yourself, “oh, shit.”

The chapter gives good advice and steps for what to do after you hear the C-word: be active and ask questions, get a second opinion, get organized, and rally the troops. Thinking back to my experience, I now realize how important being active and asking questions was. I asked lots (in addition to the hundreds my parents had).

I consider myself lucky. I appreciate people who are straight and to-the-point. My surgeon was just that. He didn’t fluff things and he certainly didn’t give me false hope. He sat there and answered every question (even if one was asked multiple times) and that’s exactly what I (and my parents) needed. We needed to know what the plan was, what the options and risks were, and what to expect (even if it gave us lumps in our throats). Knowing all the information gave me a sense of control.

The book is right – most people are scared to ask for a second opinion and I totally get it. You are so consumed with getting the C-word out of you as quickly as possible that it may seem stupid to get a second opinion (because time is of the essence). Or you might be scared of what you will hear. Or perhaps you don’t want to know how much it’s going to cost. None of those things are stupid. It’s your life and you must be in control. Being 100% comfortable with the plan of attack and trusting your team of health professionals is essential to all steps in the process. It makes all the difference in the world.

Fertility. I’m glad the book talks about this. When diagnosed at 21, it was the last thing on my mind as I’m sure it is for many young adults. When you are ready to dive in to whatever treatment you need, it’s probably something that’s easy to forget about. And when you’re young, you don’t know what the future holds and what you’ll want down the road. Knowing your options is essential and the book provides a great resource, Fertile Hope.

Side note: I love the honest stories in the book. The fertility section has some good ones.

Research. We’ve all read WebMD a time or two and freaked ourselves out. I certainly did – it’s hard not to. Even after I was given the clear, I still researched a lot. I do to this day. But as the author notes, “think about it and don’t forget it. You are a statistic of exactly one.”

There are certainly pros and cons to research. My favorite pro mentioned: As a patient, you only have to research one kind of cancer and one situation: yours. I agree. Be your own advocate. Do your own research. The book gives some sound tips on how to start, where to look (and not look!), and when to stop (because really, there will be times when you need to peel yourself away from the computer). It’s totally normal.

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Thanks for joining us for our first book club post, Chapter 1: Diagnosis of Planet Cancer!  Join in next Monday for Chapter 2: Getting Your C-Legs.

Chair Yoga for All!

chair yoga

Using props in restorative yoga can provide support to our bodies as they open up.  Blocks, straps, mats, walls, exercise balls, and more are all used during classes.  Another versatile prop is an everyday chair (while people do remove the backing from folding chairs to make an extra-awesome yoga chair, it isn’t necessary to re-do your dining room set for some yoga!).

Using a chair for yoga, like any prop, can assist me into a pose or teach me about where my body still has room to grow in mobility.  I can also use a chair as the center of my yoga time – supporting my body weight while I get to freely move my limbs.  This is often called “Chair Yoga” or “Office Yoga” and I love how it makes yoga accessible at any time of the day (email breaks, YES!), and to people who need to lay off the knees or weight bearing because of illness, injury, or age.

Chair yoga can be done at your desk at work or at the dinner table at home.  I’ve played around a little at home with using a chair as a prop for yoga poses and doing all my yoga while sitting in a chair.  Since I’m only beginning to explore this, I’m sharing some resources that I’ve found:

Have you ever done chair yoga?  What are your favorite supportive props for yoga?  Let us know!

image via (and info on teaching chair yoga!)

Release to Replant, Mindful Living

mindful living

My husband and I are preparing for a(nother) move.  We are moving across a few states and downsizing from a house in a suburban area to a two bedroom apartment in an urban environment.  Over the years we have collected a lot of extra stuff.  From old clothes to extra couches and a second set of plates, there is so much we have stockpiled and stored that we don’t need, can’t fit in our new home, and really, that others could use much better than we.  So, we are beginning to let go of these items – going through the drawers, boxes, shelves, and closets to release the extra that we’ve accumulated.  These clothes might remind us of life in another climate, the couches of a friend who gave them to us, but in reality the extra stuff is just weighing us down.

(And, a few years ago we both led a trip of students to New Orleans to help clean out a home of three elderly family members who had collected, hoarded, to what felt like an unlivable standard.  So we both have distinct images of where we do NOT want to go!)

Last week we started with going through our clothes – trying things on, telling stories about this or that t-shirt we acquired… and putting things in a pile to donate.  We are clearing the way.  Because there just isn’t room for anything new when we are completely full.  The physical mirrors the spiritual in our lives.  When my closet is full of things I use to create my image, maybe I don’t have room to create something new, to be something new.  And I even find that I have a harder time deciding what to wear!!!  When my pantry is full of old food and all these sauces that are just SITTING there, maybe I have less energy to try a new cuisine or make a fresh meal or start a new way of eating (because no one likes to waste food… but how can I stop collecting too much?).  When my schedule is full of activities, hobbies, chores, work, plans… I don’t have time to rest and restore my soul.  And I certainly don’t have the space in my day or my heart to be ready to be surprised by things that may come up to bring me joy.  No time for that!

And moving, for me, always resonates with the image of replanting.  I have a lot of houseplants and they mostly have names and stories of their origins.  I have some aloe that I potted at a friend’s house when she rescued a bunch of little ones from a gnarly overgrown garden.  I have a tall palm-like guy that we inherited at our first home (he had been left behind) and we named him Marshall after the street we lived on.  I have a little ferny friend that reminds me of friends from Michigan where I split him up and shared pieces of him with them.  I am connected to my plants in my home and I have had them long enough to need to repot them.  When I pull my plant from its tiny old home, her roots are usually wrapped around the whole shape of the soil, overgrown and searching for more space.  I gently loosen them, preparing them for the space that is coming.  The new “home” is prepared with extra soil and I cozy the new roots into the pot.  After setting the plant in securely, I add a lot of water to invite the roots to spread out and make themselves at home.  For a little while, the plant doesn’t look as perky.  She feels a little uncertain without her old way of being.  With a little time though, and some growing, she begins to expand beyond what she was.  She can create new stems, leaves, and roots because she has the new space.

This image reminds me of the need to release my grip on my current way of being – it could be my roots of my friends and routines in my current home, my extra stuff, my plans, etc.  And when I make space for something new, even if the process feels uncertain, if my leaves aren’t quite as perky in the process (do I really have to give away that Avril Lavigne concert shirt!? ha!), I can trust that the space I create physically allows my soul and life to take on some new growing.  A new direction maybe, or a new capacity… who knows!  I will never find out if I’m not willing to do the work of cleaning things out and trusting in the less-than-perky process of expansion.

IMG_20150529_122629954

Ideas for Living This

  • What do you want to clear out to make room for the new?  Your schedule?  Your closet?  Your pantry?  Write it down or tell someone.  Use a journal to chart what you do and what happens with the extra space in your world.  Then, share it with us!
  • Get your hands dirty!  Find a plant that needs a new home (or a bulb/seeds that you want to put in the ground, etc.).  As you are planting or replanting it, meditate on the process of making space (digging in the dirt or loosening the roots), adjusting in the new home (watering, the days of getting settled again, or the winter of waiting for the bulb!), and the process of new growth that will arrive in its own time.  Afterwards, as you wash your hands, trust that there isn’t anything left for you to DO in the process.  Your role is to watch and learn, wait and experience.

How do you make space for replanting and mindful living as a young adult cancer or long term illness patient, survivor, or caregiver?

Our First Book Club Starts In July!

Hello everyone!

We mentioned a little while ago that we were interested in hosting our first book club!  We’d like to publish young adult cancer survivors’ reactions to the Planet Cancer book each week.  The time has come!

Beginning in July, each Monday we’ll talk about a different chapter, starting with Chapter 1.

Interested in having your thoughts published?  Email us at info@lacunaloft.com telling us that you’d like to write.  Interested in joining the conversation without sending your thoughts on each chapter ahead of time?  No worries!  You’ll be able to do that too, each week, in the comments below each article.

Yay!

Making A Career Change After Cancer

career change after cancer

Lately I’ve been having some concerns about where I’ve ended up career-wise post cancer. I’ve spent a few months spontaneously erupting into tears at random intervals and I’ve had a relatively good idea about why. It’s taken a while though, to get to the core of the problem.

Today I was catching up on ABC’s Chasing Life series about a 20-something, April who has cancer. During episode 15 one of the characters finishes an eight year cancer treatment that started when he was a teenager and comes out the other side as a young adult with no clue as to where he’s headed career-wise. I had a light bulb moment; although my experience with cancer was less than a year long, I can definitely relate. Cancer completely distracted me from my future!

For the last four years I’ve had a job that I enjoy sometimes, but love never. It’s a job that has caused me a fair amount of stress at different points and resulted in me getting sick time after time, suffering from tension headaches, and crying more often than I should. Want to know what job I do? I work with children! People say that it’s a very important and fulfilling job but I’m feeling neither important nor fulfilled as I spend day in and day out following the same routine with the same children with no real challenge or change. I used to be cut out for it; I used to say, “I just want to work with kids”. However the reality of the job has changed my opinion. Or maybe the job has just worn me down. Either way, I’m exhausted and ready to get out. The problem is I’m 27 with an undergrad psychology major…where can I go?

Ask any of my friends, family, or psychologists and they’ll verify that I have spent the last four years living with a paranoid sense that my time is limited. About a year and a half ago I was able to identify within myself that this was the major thing holding me back from starting post-graduate study, a task that would require time and sacrifice for at least three years. I wasn’t prepared to make that kind of commitment while I was so uncertain of how long I had left. I knew people who had finished their studies just to end up with an illness afterwards and I couldn’t’ stand the thought of spending what could potentially be my final years writing research papers and studying for exams. Unfortunately identifying this fear was not enough to combat it. I stayed exactly where I was because it was a ‘safe’ job that paid me enough money and gave me enough time to live, which is all I wanted to do.

So I have spent four years having great weekends, buying nice things and eating really well. Over the years I’ve fit in some mandatory partying, dating and drinking, all the while supressing the feeling that I wasn’t fulfilled. Now I’m in a new phase of life. I’ve met my future husband, moved in with him and started talking about the future. The conversations about having babies have brought to light one of my darkest fears: I’m going to end up a Mum without a career. This may not sound like a problem to some but it’s always been my primary objective to become a professional with an important and challenging career; one that will make my family proud.

To intensify my growing anxiety my partner recently managed to leave a job that he hated and score himself a very exciting new career that offers him limitless growth opportunities and a great salary! What a blessing that was. Unfortunately, now it feels like I have mentally shone a torch on my own failings and insecurities. These recent events have forced me to reach down inside and yank up the desires that I’ve been supressing all these years: to pursue a career and a future.

Therein lay the problems: Is it too late to go back to university? Is it too late to change jobs? Even if it’s not too late, will it be too hard? And only four years in remission, could I still relapse?

Although my only comparison at this rate is a character from a TV show, I do not doubt that there are thousands of young adult cancer patients and survivors going through similar thought processes. I know that my fears are normal – check. I know that I have the power to change my circumstances – check. I don’t need a psychologist to tell me that, but what now? Where do I go?

I’ve started applying for jobs. Lots and lots of jobs. And the rejection emails and deafening lack of phone ringing is not helping my already low self-worth and self-image. So now I’m tearing up for new reasons: Am I even good enough for anything else? Now I know I’m not alone in this thought.

So I will keep trying and I will have to find other aspects of my life that make me feel special and important: cancer advocacy and writing. At least with these mediums I can reach other people potentially in the same phase of life; searching for a career post cancer treatment. It’s important that we don’t feel alone in our struggles, no matter what they are.

So back to the job search I go. Feeling a little less alone.

Have you made a career change after cancer?  Let us know!

Behind the Scenes: A Day In The Life Of LL’s Founder

day in the life

Here at Lacuna Loft, we are all about the behind the scenes, nitty-gritty of running an organization.  When I started Lacuna Loft, I relied on some very communicative and helpful small business owners to help guide me…along with a load of library books!  One of the most helpful bloggers, who often mixes the boundaries between business and pleasure in her business and her blog, recently posted a day-in-the-life post, and I decided that this idea was perfect for the first post in our new, Behind the Scenes series.

Without further ado, welcome to Behind the Scenes!  Here, we’ll talk about the various stages of the development of Lacuna Loft.  Some of the lessons we’ve learned along the way.  You’ll hear often from me, the Founder and CEO of Lacuna Loft, as well as from our Design Guru, board members, contributors, and more!  Today we’ll discuss a day in the life of Lacuna Loft’s founder!  (The day in question is Tuesday, May 19th…just in case you were curious.)

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Today was a pretty normal day.  My to-do list was huge and what seemed probable for one day ended up being spread over several.

6:45 am … Alarm sounded.  Woke to a 28 lb lab-beagle-pit doggie snout in my face.

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7:30 am … Actually got out of bed.  I had intended on going for a run in the morning but my bedroom windows had remained opened overnight and the 55 degree F air didn’t feel that welcoming after the warm days Central Illinois has been spoiling me with.  I didn’t mess with my phone before getting out of bed.  My husband and I have a new ‘no smart phones in bed’ policy which includes no checking email.  I admit that I love this new agreement.  We actually wake up and talk to one another instead of instantly becoming buried in work!

7:30 – 7:45 am … Made a breakfast smoothie for the first time to include on the blog and had my husband give me his opinions on the recipe.  Fed the pups, put in a load of laundry, thought about starting a brief sprinkler but didn’t…growing grass is such a chore!

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7:45 am … Started working.  Finished up a post that was almost done from the day before.  Finished up some paperwork and wrote the needed check to file said paperwork for LL’s registration with California’s Registry of Charitable Trust.

9:30 am … Dressed, let the pups outside for about 10 minutes, and got ready to go.  Sometimes I go all out…shower, make up, nicer looking clothes.  Today was not one of those days.

10:00 am … Arrived at my work space for the day.  Today I went into work with my husband.  His company has space at a co-working space in our Central Illinois town and I spend time there every once in a while.  I rotate where my daily work space is between my home office, the local library, various coffee shops, and my husband’s office.

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10:00 – noon … Work, work, work.  This included working on blog posts, connecting with people on social media, and connecting with a nutritionist for a few future LL posts.  Some days I spend my entire time working on posts or talking with contributors and collaborators.  Other days I spend my whole time working on our strategic planning, marketing, future ads campaign and fundraising, connecting with health care professionals, outreaching to influencers in the young adult cancer space, etc.

12:15 pm … Lunch and some netflix

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1:00 pm … Did some work on the site.  Added our updated terms of use and privacy policy (after spending some time reading them).  Updated some financials for our Board of Directors, emailed briefly with a contributor, and sent out a final note to the entirety of our contributors.

2:30 pm … Spent some time working on a marketing class I’ve been taking through Coursera…love their courses!  Not all are interesting but I’ve been able to learn a lot by picking and choosing courses with information valuable to Lacuna Loft and my role as CEO.

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4:30 pm … Went for a run!

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5:30 pm … Headed home, played with the pups, did some business reading, and showered.

7:45 pm … Had dinner and relaxed with my pups and husband.

10 pm … To bed!

That’s it!  A pretty standard day.  Sometimes it takes me longer to get going in the morning and sometimes I’m still working much much later at night.  Sometimes I work about 9 hours in a day and sometimes its more like 15 hours.  Often there is a balance in between though, with some work mixed in on the weekends.

Let us know if there is something in particular that you’d like shown as part of our Behind the Scenes series!