Cardiologist…Day Two…
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While we know that the tumor has shrunk, we also know that the tumor still have its ‘activities’ within the body. Like a rumbling volcano, the tumor will react to certain foods and hard swallows. ‘The Little One’ really has to be careful on how and what he eats, or else he’ll have an ‘eruption’ filled with gastric acid and sharp pain.
The location of tumor has made it difficult for us to decide the origin of the sharp pain, hence the need to see the cardiologist. Pleased with the weight loss, the cardiologist went about his work in the most pleasant of ways. The EKG showed that the heart was in good shape and that the pain that ‘The Little One’ has been experiencing is directly related to th
e tumor.
Of course, these are all scientific speculations and based on his years of experience as evidence from the EKG. While there is relief in this news, that fact of the matter is that the pain still is a part of his every day life. As we age, we all have to accept the little bumps and bruises to our health that come along in life.
Each one of us handles those little bumps and bruises in a different manner, and my suspicion is that those of us who have a healthy acceptance of our health calamities, tend to fare better with their reality than those who don’t. I certainly see a healthy attitude of acceptance in “The Little One”.
Acceptance goes a long way in building a healthy attitude. Of course, we have our bad days and ask ourselves…’why me’…that’s just a part of human nature. The lesson that I have learned from this experience while watching ‘The Little One’s’ attitude is to simply just give up control; but boy…do I have a long way to go with that!
Just like the doctors who can’t control the outcomes of the test, we can’t control the reality of disease. We know that the tumor has shrunk, but we also know that the tumor is still causing some issues. Yet what we can control is how we react to the pain and issues that it creates, and that my friends, is where the secret lies.
Indeed, in any aspect of life (especially with regard to health!) you can only concern yourself with things within your control. A positive attitude, work and lifestyle changes, eating habits, etc. are all part of the “within your control” arena. We spend a lot of time crossing bridges in our minds that will never have to be crossed in reality. Concentrating on that reality and not letting the mind wander into what might happen, what could be…that wanderlust doesn’t help the here and now. Acceptance doesn’t mean giving in – it gives us a baseline towards knowing where we are and we can then “take it from there” with those things within our control. Worrying about what we cannot control just takes our eyes off the goals of improvement…and achievement (and getting better!).