Welcome back, Debbie. I'm sorry you have been ill. I myself have spent the last 14 months recovering from not one, but two cancers diagnosed about a month apart. They were both stage 1, caught early, but I did need two surgeries, two rounds of radiation, and six cycles of chemo.
I'm thrilled to be cancer free and have a 95-98% 5 year survival outlook.
I've learned a few things this past year:
Listen to your body. If you feel like napping, nap.
Don't bite off more than you can chew, and you can usually chew less than you think. Take baby steps.
Don't turn down offers for help.
Tell people exactly what you'd like them to do. Be specific.
Write everything down. Notes from MD visits, lab results, how you feel after treatment, what meds you take, especially pain meds. Keep a 3 ring binder with this stuff in it.
Realize that recovery is uneven. Its two steps forward, one step back.
Don't expect to be "normal" again the minute your treatment is complete. Normal is a moving target for a while, it can take a year or two, depending on what your treatment was, to find a new normal. But it does happen. Hair grows back, strength returns, "chemo brain" clears, fear diminishes, hope shines through.
Be aware that you will have down moments, dark moments, fears. Normal. Accept them but don't dwell on them. Surviving is the norm now, unlike when I was in nursing school 35 years ago.
Maintain your spiritual connections, whatever they may be. Pray. Read inspirational quotes every day. Light a candle. Marvel at nature. Breathe deeply. People with spiritual connections have better outcomes.
Move when and how you can. Walk. Stretch gently. Swim or float in a warm pool. Move as best you can, to promote circulation, prevent stiffness, and avoid having to dig yourself out of a hole of debilitation after treatment. And if you need it, ask your MD for an rx for PT after, for strengthening and reconditioning. It's generally covered, and did a world of good for me.
Remember that people are praying for you. Feel their prayer and positive thoughts flowing through you.
Eat healthy. That mean different things to different people, but for me, it means organic, from scratch, not processed or canned, high fiber, high fruit/veg, whole grains, small quantities of fish and low fat organic meat, etc.
Welcome to the Survivors Club, Deb. May we all maintain our membership in this club for a very, very long time.
