The Impact of a Hiccup / by Juhi Kunde

[Guest LCSC Info]

The Impact of a Hiccup

March 7th, 2012 - by Juhi Kunde

http://blog.lungevity.org/2012/03/07/th ... -a-hiccup/

My carpet needs to be vacuumed. Garbage cans linger on the curb. Clean laundry is piling up at the bottom of the stairs. Dishes are stacking up in the sink. Why? Because I went for a hike.

In our hectic, unrelenting lives, even the tiniest of hiccups can turn our days upside down. The daily demands of work, family and friends—don’t stop. Ever. And the momentum of life sometimes feels as though it’ll knock us to the ground and run us over, like a steam roller flattening a cartoon road runner.

Last weekend I sprained my ankle while I was hiking. A minor hiccup. It wasn’t even bad enough to see a doctor. “No sweat,” I told myself. “I know what to do: rest, ice, compress and elevate.”

But I failed to account for the momentum in my life.

This week is the last week to get early pre-school registration and of course, I hadn’t visited all the schools that I wanted to see. So, I found myself hobbling around from school to school in the rain. Not to mention shuttling my daughter to her weekly play dates and activities. I abandoned the less urgent matters and opted to rest when I could.

The result?

My carpet has colorful cracker crumbs mashed down into the fibers. The garbage cans are now rolling around in the street. And a dish tower just collapsed with a worrisome ‘crunch’.

Plus, my ankle still hurts.

Now, I am certainly not comparing a sprained ankle to lung cancer. But I have been thinking that if this minor glitch in my health has put my household into such a state of disarray, what would happen when someone has a major health issue which leaves them (even partially) incapacitated for weeks or months? Who brings in their garbage cans?

Enter the caregivers. Those often-thanked and seldom-helped people who know that just putting out the garbage cans isn’t enough.

And what happens when a caregiver sprains an ankle?

I shudder to imagine…

[jaminkw]

Nikole, sorry for your mishap and hope that ankle is better soon. Thanks for your awareness of how disruptive cancer can be. After a year into my cancer, my husband had to get back to work which involves travel. For a couple of years he drug me around with him in a lovely RV but it was exhausting. It also involved figuring out where I was going to be when I needed chemo and finding an setting is up at a (hopefully) nearby cancer facility. Arranging this and coordinating communications between them and my primary cancer treatment provider was not fun.

I'm sharing this so I can tell you I've convinced my husband to travel on occasion and leave me here. I don't have too many people I would call on for help and am an independent cuss anyway. Over time, putting out and dragging in those trashcans, getting the mail and paper, running bank and other errands and even having to feed myself (I can do it but he likes being the chef) gets to be a real drag. I really feel for you though because I don't have a young child to care for with all the running about that involves these days.

Again, thanks for the empathy and you have mine back in double.

Judy in KW

[Guest LCSC Info]

Hi Judy,

Thank you for the kind words. The blog was actually written by Juhi Kunde and I posted it in LCSC for everyone in the forums to read. I'm glad you enjoyed reading it.

I do have small children and I lost my dad to lung cancer 3 years ago. I am committed to ending lung cancer.

You sound like a strong person, just like my dad when you said: "I don't have too many people I would call on for help and am an independent cuss anyway."

If I lived closer to you, I would take that trash out & get your mail/paper for you : )

Take care,

Nikole