Watch and wait explained

Some of my friends and colleagues are finding the course of “non-treatment” that I’m currently on for mantle cell lymphoma a little disturbing. I admit that I did too at first, so their reaction is entirely understandable. My natural inclination is to want to get on with things but in the case of MCL, particularly the indolent version that I seem to have, immediate treatment is not always the best course of action.

This lunchtime I’ve read the information published by the Lymphoma Association about watch and wait. It’s reassuring and it contains a paragraph that sums up perfectly my attitude to being on this regime at the moment.

People who have been on watch and wait say that the best thing to do is to try and make the most of each day. Live well while you feel well. See the people you want to see or do the things that are important to you. Think of watch and wait as a chance to maximise your quality of life – to actively take good care of yourself rather than passively waiting for treatment to begin.

And of course it’s great advice anyway, even if you don’t have lymphoma!

I was diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma in the summer of 2014. If you’d like to make a donation to the work of the Lymphoma Association, this explains the many different ways that you can do so.