This Too Shall Pass

It has not been a good week.  On Tuesday, I underwent an outpatient procedure to have a MediPort placed underneath my collarbone through which chemotherapy will be administered.  Because I would be sedated, I had to have an IV.  (I hate IVs.  I have small veins so they always get put in my hand, and then I feel like a puppet.) I had been told by the medical personnel as well as others who had gone through the procedure that it was no big deal, but, for me, it was.  I’ve experienced a great deal of pain at the site the past couple days.

I’ve tried to keep in mind an adage that one of my dear childhood friends has always said: “This too shall pass.”  When I was in the hospital, I not only had one IV, but also a second IV as well as three other tubes connected to me.  I couldn’t move without making sure that they were all where I could see them for fear of pulling something.  I was frustrated and agitated.  Now, looking back, I realize the discomfort lasted only a week, which is not long in the big scheme of things.

I suppose the notion that something bad, hurtful, or uncomfortable will pass is an idea we need to embrace throughout life.  It’s an idea we are exposed to fairly early – we learn how quickly a boo-boo can heal, how disappointment can dissipate, how the heart can mend after we are certain it has been broken.  Looking back on my life, there are several major experiences I never thought I would get through.   But I did.  We all do.  We put one foot in front of the other and, before you know it, we have moved beyond that which we thought we would not be able to leave behind.

I can already sense this in my latest journey.  It seems ages ago since I received that devastating diagnosis – those days passed.  The 25 days I spent driving 100 miles every day to receive radiation seem like a memory – they passed.  Even the surgery and hospital stay seem like a long time ago, leaving only the physical reminder of the procedure – it passed.  I know such will be the case with my latest discomfort. This too shall pass.

Share the strength.

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