Why is this so frustrating for the both of us?

49.Why is this so frustrating for the
both of us?

A person with cancer may experience a number of
changes that can cause negative feelings. Caregivers,
too, can be confronted with numerous changes and
may have to learn to live with unexpected limitations
in their lives. Frustration builds in various ways.

Sometimes the problems are minor, but occur frequently,
perhaps on a daily basis. Sometimes the problems are
major and are the foundation for longer-term changes.

These changes may then drive people to alter hopes
and plans for the future.

A great deal of frustration from many family members
we interview arises from the feeling that change has
been imposed upon them without a choice. People
naturally wish that none of this ever happened and
that they and their loved ones could go back to the
way things were before. Facing up to reality, however,
doesn’t mean fatalistically resigning themselves to the
way things are now. Maybe there isn’t a magic bullet—
at least not now—to solve the most pressing problems,
whether it’s finding a cure for their loved one’s disease
or finding the money to pay for all the prescriptions.

But what people can control, or at least try to control,
is how they respond—emotionally and practically—to
life’s events. People are always choosing one path over
another, and through these choices will retain or regain
a sense of hope and purpose.