THERE IS NO GOOD TIME FOR ANY DISEASE

Katarzyna Nowak-Ledniowska, psychologist at the Amethyst Radiotherapy Center

The first symptoms of cancer do not have to be obvious, which significantly affects the speed of making an accurate diagnosis. Time, however, seems to be crucial not only for starting treatment, but above all for understanding what is happening to me, getting used to it, and sorting out my life with the disease.

There is no good time for any disease. People simply do not include such a scenario in their plans. In this respect, cancer and coronavirus are very similar. They don't ask for consent, they simply enter our lives unannounced, destroying everything that is important to us along the way: health, plans, businesses, relationships... It can be said that, in some way, the cancer and coronavirus pandemics are developing not only in our bodies, but above all in our experience and mind. What is common is fear and loneliness. The most valuable value that we lose in the face of both is the sense of security.

The situation of cancer patients and their families is particularly difficult now. The supportive presence of a loved one during new, frightening medical procedures, so important for the patient, is now basically impossible. Due to the increasing number of coronavirus infections, a huge number of cancer patients are left alone in their daily fight for health. Families are afraid of exposing their loved ones to infection, and patients are afraid of being infected. It is not known how an organism struggling with cancer would cope with the additional burden of the virus. The fear for oneself and loved ones forces not only real but also emotional isolation. Achieving what is already difficult in cancer, i.e. mobilizing the body's resources for recovery and returning to the so-called vital activities, requires even greater effort from the patient. But it's not impossible. You could say that every fight requires a certain strategy. Every patient, regardless of whether they suffer from cancer or a virus, needs to know what they can do in such a situation and how to help themselves. Not only from the medical side, although the availability of health care for the patient is extremely important, but also from the emotional and mental side. When I know what I can do, I am simply less afraid. When I'm less afraid, I feel better. Dealing with difficult feelings requires some trust that experiencing them will not kill us. Paradoxically, accepting the inevitability of death as a phenomenon that accompanies us at every moment of life can be very helpful here. When we finally stop dying within ourselves, there will still be enough time left to live. It's not the disease that takes it away from us, it's us who often waste it on unproductive activities. And in the recovery process, every moment invested in my comfort, pleasure, and experiencing what I want to experience is important. Regardless of how many problems, difficulties and issues appear nearby. Many patients, absorbed in thinking about the disease, the virus, the ratio of illnesses to the number of deaths in their place of residence, forget about themselves and their needs. He cannot answer the basic questions for mobilizing recovery: how do I rest? What can I do to rest more, more often, better? And it's not about lying on the couch, but resting, which can give a sense of fulfillment, satisfaction and pleasure. Which in such a difficult time of illness and epidemic will bring back the smell and taste of life. The time we have is ours and ours alone. Everyone has their 100 percent, neither more nor less. Therefore, it is worth using it fully to do what I can today, here and now, and from it derive the best quality of life available to me.