It was a brief phone call, but even in that short amount of time, she helped me to feel supported.
She said she wasn't able to come by during my appointment time today, but she checked in with my infusion nurse, who told her about my dad being in active cancer treatment. She was very sympathetic about how many Big Things I am dealing with all at the same time.
I told her how not many people know the full extent of everything that's on my plate. I mean, first with the breast cancer, then with the loss of my mom, and now my father has cancer, too? It's just a bit much. Like how much more sympathy or support can I expect from people?
My social worker completely validated my feelings. Just hearing someone else say that they think I have a lot going on made me feel seen and understood. She said again that I can make an appointment with her to talk things through, if that's something I think might help. I appreciate that she was very careful to not insist on an appointment, but just wanted to remind me that that option exists.
I told her that I am definitely aware that I need time to process everything. She, and others, have talked about how, sometimes, the hardest part of cancer treatment is when it's over. My last chemo was December 20, the last day of school before 2 weeks of school vacation, and I had been looking forward to having 2 weeks of low-key down time to focus on myself and how cancer and cancer treatment have affected me. Well, I didn't get the time that I expected, so I'm going to have to look ahead to set aside some time later. In the meantime, I just need to keep my head down, and take life one day at a time.
So I didn't schedule an appointment with her yet, but it helps just knowing that I have a kind of safety net; if I get to feeling overwhelmed, I know I can reach out to my social worker.
I understand what you mean about "how much sympathy" people have to give, but you'll find that the well is bottomless, just like yours is for the people you love.
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