Cancer’s Second Swing – Out of Remission

Psalm 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

It is an awful thing to go through, cancer. You’re just walking through life and then you find a small lump in your breast or begin to cough endlessly.
 
There are tests and discussion of radiation and surgery to shrink the tumor. But it never completely goes away. Yes, you may go into remission because the cancer has shrunk or the surgery removed the lump and areas around it, but there are still cancer cells that linger, and the cancer can come back with its second swing.
 
Some people choose to live out the rest of their life without surgery or chemotherapy for cancer. They will walk through their life until the door is shut. And no amount of pleading with the family will make them change their mind.
 
Some people choose to fight and fight hard to beat cancer. The doctor says that he gives you three months to a year to live. You still fight. And months later the cancer is in remission and you can walk through life without looking over your shoulder for cancer to come back.
 
But sometimes it does.
 
It’s not fair, really. You thought you had a life to live again and then the symptoms start up, and after tests have been completed, your doctor tells you that you are no longer in remission.
 
The anger is worse this time, than when you first went through cancer. The family is hurt and angry too. What’s a person to do? Is their any way to make the cancer go away for good?
 
According to webmd.com in their article, “What Does Remission Look Like?” There are two types of remission, one treatment may have killed off most of the cancer cells, but there are still remnants in the blood. Second, all signs of cancer and its symptoms are gone.
 
The article also discusses how to get to remission. Some of their suggestions are medications, radiation, surgery, hormone therapy and immunotherapy. There are also nontraditional treatments that you may want to explore.
 
No matter how you look at it, if you’ve had cancer it can come back. Try to keep a positive attitude about your treatments. Also, prayer can be your first line of support and sharing your feelings with your family, since they may be having the same trouble accepting your cancer has come back.
 
And as the Bible verse above says, God is our refuge, our place to run to when life is too much and he is the strength you will need to go through cancer. And though cancer is serious trouble, God will walk with you every step you take, whether you’re in fighting cancer or are in remission.

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