The first conversation I had with my oncologist, we were just talking about his experiences as a doctor (which...awesome, it was very good to get know him a bit) and I ended up asking if people ever decide to not follow his advice.
He said yes, and he looked very sad and then he told me that every single one of conversations are going to be with him forever.
What a very hard thing that must be...to have someone turn down your advice...to not get chemo, or exit the treatment early, only to come back and find that now the prognosis is much worse and the treatment plan much less clear.
It seemed to me that, at least in part, he felt his inability to keep them on the treatment path was a personal failure. I wish I could take that guilt away from him, because it's not his fault. We're all susceptible to simple stories that give us back a sense of control, even if it's an illusion. And sometimes people cannot be convinced...and sometimes that's deadly.
I'm very grateful that my worldview meshes well with the most effective paradigms. I didn't get that because I'm smart, I got it by the luck of my upbringing. And if ever a doctor tells you that you need chemo...there will almost certainly be people in your life who tell you that you should try alternatives instead.
You. Should. Not.
You can and should do acupuncture and restorative yoga and aromatherapy and eat less sugar and whatever other things help you. But do those things AND get the treatment recommended by your oncologist. Cancer patients have control, it's just a different kind of control than we're used to, and it can be disruptive to an identity to submit to that lack of control. But that's just...having a body, and I'm very happy that I get to have a body.
it has come to my attention that not everyone had a rly weird halloween costume they wore as a kid?? like i went as french fries by myself in second grade bc i felt like it and i thought every kid had their own weird but iconic french fry moment?? but no??
people that sky dive give me the same energy as that mario star superpower that makes u go super fast and crazy and sounds like ba ba ba badupba badupba
guys i just realized harambe hasn’t even been mentioned at the oscars once during the celebrity memoriam presentation. wtf. the academy is #gorillaphobic#BTS2022