addiction, as social media use is for so many people. Why did I torture myself the week before surgery by reading over and over about the high fatality rates with pancreatic cancer? Why did I visit several discussion groups where people with pancreatic cancer shared their personal experiences, almost all of them bad and depressing? Why did I watch the highlights of the gruesome Whipple surgery at YouTube? Please be smarter than me.
- Screen your doctors. Find the one(s) right for you. We need knowledgeable, skilled doctors who are also COMPASSIONATE and patient centered. I still remember the bad experience I had in selecting an oncologist. Nonetheless, every member of my actual medical team has been terrific. They met all of these criteria. And they explained everything to me and welcomed my questions and requests.
- Be aware that your pre-surgery feelings may be quite different than your post-surgery feelings. For me, the pre-surgery period was one of uncertainty and anxiety. I just wanted to get everything over and done. I was quite antsy in the couple of days preceding the surgery. Post-surgery, my biggest concern dealt with the quality of my future life. What would be my new normal?
- We need to be realistic about our recovery period. What activities will we be able to do? And how long will it take for us to be ready to engage in those activities? I mentioned earlier that I was extremely disappointed that I could not return to teaching when I expected to go back. I was too hard on myself and hadn’t adequately prepared for possible setbacks. The world did not end when I had to wait to return to teaching. I got myself to think about the upside of that disappointment: It gave me more time to improve my physical condition. This was a real plus.
