Dealing with it.

I wrote in a journal during this time and did initial sketches about my diagnoses.   I don't have the sketches now,  but I will post them at a later time with a future post on current processing.  One other way was my arts & crafts,  and my online psych classes toward my undergradute art studio degree

I started and finished knitting/crocheting a blanket from my moms yarn stash during treatment ( and will post a picture later).  Doing my crafting, (yarn, embroidery, etc)  helped keep my hands nimble in between the cramping.  

My painting at that time was mainly for finishing my in completes at school, but it ended up turning really personal and helpful.  I have a series of 3 paintings that I will post that started as a class project about a metaphor and turned into a story of my cancer.

At that time though I wasnt talking about my feelings about my experience  and the painting while powerful to me,  escaped others perceptions. (I had submitted it into my senior art show as a school assignment , not a personal project as my professor had encouraged me to do) it was not accepted into the show, but surprisngly a past sculpture based on anger and stress release was accepted instead.

I realise now how important it is to process something as extreme as having cancer, and how many ways the experience has affected who I am and who im working toward being.

Shortly after diagnoses I found a book series- Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips by Kris Carr, it helped me and my parents deal with the situation.  The author has a rare incurable cancer and uses humor.  Other books in the series include, crazy sexy cancer survivor, diet and kitchen. She also had a dvd biography shown on lifetime and an ebook on smoothies.   Www crazysexycancer.com

I was also introduced to imerman angels, a free cancer support group that helps connect patients survivors and caregivers who have similar experiences so they know they arent alone.