Round 3
It was a long day in chemo. I was there for over 6 hours. I'm really tired in spite of the steroids and benedryl. I've got 2 additional appts tomorrow then I'm hunkering down for the rest of the week!
28 November 2011
It's Cancer Limerick Sunday!
Awesome guest limerick from Dan.
We know that Thanksgiving comes yearly
To reflect on our blessings so dearly
But this year my wife
Had a threat to her life
We now see our blessings more clearly!
Awesome guest limerick from Dan.
We know that Thanksgiving comes yearly
To reflect on our blessings so dearly
But this year my wife
Had a threat to her life
We now see our blessings more clearly!
26 November 2011
Giving Thanks
For what are you all thankful? I am thankful for (ironically) my health. People (men and women,) DIE from the disease I have, and that is not going to be my outcome. The luck of the placement of the tumors alerted me to the cancer early on. Fast and aggressive action on our part is eradicating it.
I am also thankful for the tremendous amount of support we've had from family, friends and the community as a whole. Kim, Michelle, Tracy, Sue, Matt, John, Di and Pop - many thanks for supporting us. Linda, Wendy, Diane, Patricia, thanks for being there for me. Meal Train participants, Mom's Club, Harman teachers and staff, Girl Scouts, thanks for additional support. And everyone, your prayers and kind thoughts are appreciated.
My medical team has done a great job for me - Dr. Boob, Two-Drain and Dr. Kimo and of course my primary, Dr. T, whose (warranted) concern started the ball rolling. I'm thankful I was able to find such a terrific team quickly, and with very little effort!
And I am thankful for Dan, Mim, and Nomi who fill my world. (But I won't detail what they fill it with.)
;-)
For what are you all thankful? I am thankful for (ironically) my health. People (men and women,) DIE from the disease I have, and that is not going to be my outcome. The luck of the placement of the tumors alerted me to the cancer early on. Fast and aggressive action on our part is eradicating it.
I am also thankful for the tremendous amount of support we've had from family, friends and the community as a whole. Kim, Michelle, Tracy, Sue, Matt, John, Di and Pop - many thanks for supporting us. Linda, Wendy, Diane, Patricia, thanks for being there for me. Meal Train participants, Mom's Club, Harman teachers and staff, Girl Scouts, thanks for additional support. And everyone, your prayers and kind thoughts are appreciated.
My medical team has done a great job for me - Dr. Boob, Two-Drain and Dr. Kimo and of course my primary, Dr. T, whose (warranted) concern started the ball rolling. I'm thankful I was able to find such a terrific team quickly, and with very little effort!
And I am thankful for Dan, Mim, and Nomi who fill my world. (But I won't detail what they fill it with.)
;-)
22 November 2011
Who knew?
You all know about losing hair, and nausea, and fatigue, but there is much, much more to chemo than those. Today I continue my series of symptoms/side effects of chemotherapy. Yesterday I covered the fatigue. Today I move on to weirder physical manifestations of poisoning my body. (Emphasis on MY since everyone who does chemo has a different reaction to it, as well as to the corollary drugs with which they augment the regime.)
Head zits:
This may be a function of wearing hats, having no hair to disperse scalp oils, my compromised immunity or my hair follicles freaking out. (I'm assuming its the hair follicles freaking out since the rest of my skin is pretty clear.) I don't know why, but I have a bumper crop of the huge, ugly, angry zits on my head. And they are so huge, ugly and angry that they HURT.
Prostrate Trouble:
I pee like an 80 year old man. Dribble, dribble, dribble.
It doesn't taste like chicken:
All meat tastes bitter and metallic. All bland stuff tastes bitter. All cold stuff tastes metallic. All sweet stuff tastes awesome!
Muscle spasms:
For whatever reason, I get muscle spasms. Most often in the most compromised muscles in my body - my pecs, which are currently under a lot of stress. In addition to the tightness of the expansion process, my pecs have a tendency to spasm, making my chest painfully tight. (I am thankful I am near the end of that process, having almost reached my desired size.) I have also had charlie horses in my legs, feet, arms, back, front and neck. And the occasional eye twitch, just for good measure.
Mood swings:
I think I covered the irritability and moodiness in some past posts. In case you didn't catch it, I basically go insane for a week or so.
What's that smell?:
For several days after I have chemo I can smell it coming out of me. Most troublesome is that my sweat makes me queasy.
Digestive disruptions:
Some people get constipated with chemo, others get diarrhea. Lucky me! I get BOTH - wildly swinging from one extreme to the other, in spite of what I eat or don't eat, or take or don't take for it.
Insomnia:
The week of chemo, I just don't sleep. A combination of very strong steroids and my reaction to benedryl (it wires me,) make it impossible to sleep... for a WEEK! Tranquilizers and sleeping pills get me 2 - 4 hours of sleep in a night.
Muscle and joint aches:
My muscles hurt, and not the 'good' kind of sore you get from the gym. More like the 'bad' kind of hurt you get from the flu. Ditto on my joints.
Cankers plus:
My mouth sucks. I've always had bad teeth - soft, prone to cavities and cracks, a mouth full of dental work, scar tissue on the inside of my lips and cheeks from braces and years of subsequent nervous cheek chewing. Within two days of chemo I start getting cankers. The whole inside of my mouth, tongue included, turns white and starts to peel. I have an additional medication to combat this - swishing and swallowing 3 - 4 times a day. It tastes gross and it has Oxycodone, Nystatin, Tetracycline and Benedryl, the bane of my existence. A pain killer, anti-fungal, anti-biotic and anti-histamine. (They've always got to throw in the anti-histamine to cover their butts in case of an allergic reaction.) It makes my mouth stop hurting, although it still peels.
Intellectual Sloth:
This could be from lack of sleep, or corollary medication, but for whatever reason, I can't form sentences to communicate my thoughts, desires or ideas effectively. I also can't type. Likewise, I have an inability to distinguish differences in order to make decisions.
I am thankful I am NOT nauseous... although they apparently have some excellent drugs to combat that, whereas they have little to combat the rest of this.
21 November 2011
One of the Clowder
For those of you who don't know the difference between cats and dogs, here's a little primer. (Bear with me, this is relevant today.)
Dogs have owners, cats have staff.
A dog's thought process: A ball! My favorite thing! A stick! My favorite thing! Dinner! My favorite thing! A nap on the bed! My favorite thing!
A cat's thought process: Day 728 of my captivity - the idiots who enslave me think it's cute when I bat at a foil ball. The fools! If I can just get them a little closer I'll be able to claw their eyes out and escape.
=====
I have noticed that the cats are restless and irritable on the weekends. I too have become irritable on the weekends. They look at the family with disgust, seeming to say, "Don't you people have somewhere to go?" (Get the hell out and leave me alone.) I feel much the same.
This whole cancer thing makes me very, very tired. Whether it's recovering from surgery or taking narcotics for pain/discomfort, or side effects of chemo, I spend a boat-load of time in bed. I'm pretty sure in the the past 10 weeks since surgery, I've spent more time in bed than the first 5 years of mommy-dom. Suddenly my priority is to lollygag in bed all day without wanting to do anything else. This has evidently earned the respect of the cats.
Cats are picky eaters, and eat mostly one food group: animal products. I have become a picky eater, albeit eschewing animal products.
Cats like to be warm. I used to always be warm, but now I find myself wanting to crank up the mattress pad and hop into bed just to warm up.
=====
Come Monday morning when the kids leave for school and Dan leaves for work, the cats and I hop back in/on bed and curl up for our daily/day-long nap.
They have now accepted me as one of their own.
For those of you who don't know the difference between cats and dogs, here's a little primer. (Bear with me, this is relevant today.)
Dogs have owners, cats have staff.
A dog's thought process: A ball! My favorite thing! A stick! My favorite thing! Dinner! My favorite thing! A nap on the bed! My favorite thing!
A cat's thought process: Day 728 of my captivity - the idiots who enslave me think it's cute when I bat at a foil ball. The fools! If I can just get them a little closer I'll be able to claw their eyes out and escape.
=====
I have noticed that the cats are restless and irritable on the weekends. I too have become irritable on the weekends. They look at the family with disgust, seeming to say, "Don't you people have somewhere to go?" (Get the hell out and leave me alone.) I feel much the same.
This whole cancer thing makes me very, very tired. Whether it's recovering from surgery or taking narcotics for pain/discomfort, or side effects of chemo, I spend a boat-load of time in bed. I'm pretty sure in the the past 10 weeks since surgery, I've spent more time in bed than the first 5 years of mommy-dom. Suddenly my priority is to lollygag in bed all day without wanting to do anything else. This has evidently earned the respect of the cats.
Cats are picky eaters, and eat mostly one food group: animal products. I have become a picky eater, albeit eschewing animal products.
Cats like to be warm. I used to always be warm, but now I find myself wanting to crank up the mattress pad and hop into bed just to warm up.
=====
Come Monday morning when the kids leave for school and Dan leaves for work, the cats and I hop back in/on bed and curl up for our daily/day-long nap.
They have now accepted me as one of their own.
20 November 2011
It's Cancer Limerick Sunday!
First things get fuzzy and hazy
And then I think everyone's lazy
Irritated and witchy,
I'd even say bitchy
The chemo makes me freakin' CRAZY!
First things get fuzzy and hazy
And then I think everyone's lazy
Irritated and witchy,
I'd even say bitchy
The chemo makes me freakin' CRAZY!
18 November 2011
Back from the Dead
Hello everyone! So are you getting the idea that chemo completely wipes me out? And it's more than just the physical stuff - intellectually, emotionally, physically, it's all gone for a week or so.
It also messes with my personality - just ask my husband.
But I'm finally feeling better (11 days after,) and I'm feeling like myself.
I had some interesting insights this week, in between feeling like crap and acting like a crazy person. I had the delightful experience of meeting with a fellow 'cancer mom' who has unbeknownst to her become my mentor. Kudos to Sara, you rock - but you probably already know that because everyone who has the blessing of knowing you tells you that. Here's a link to her blog - much inspiration there.
She told me that she feels like cancer has given her the gift of hitting the reset button back to 'factory settings'. That is exactly how I feel. I'm just starting to explore the idea that perhaps my current lifestyle doesn't really reflect who I've become. We all have so much baggage that accumulates through our lives. There are certain things I do or have for no other reason than because I've always done it that way, or that's how my mom did it, or it's the prevalent way it's done in the community I'm in. I'm starting to see areas of my life that are no longer a perfect fit. And by recognizing these areas, I'm able to then postulate what would be a better fit.
Simple questions are giving rise to surprising answers. What do I truly love doing? What do I truly value? How do I want to spend my time on earth, and what do I want to leave behind? What do I need to support those things? Many times in my past I've felt my life was lacking, but I could not articulate what it was lacking. Cancer has a way of stripping away pretense and allowing truth to surface.
The second experience was that my husband had a birthday this week and he led by example on what 'simplify' really means. I now understand the difference between something that tickles my fancy and something I truly love. Intellectually I understand that 'stuff' is just 'stuff', and 'stuff' needs managing, and less 'stuff' is simpler than more 'stuff'. But it's hard to put that into practice without emotion entering the mix and messing up good intentions. I think I now have the tools to truly simplify.
The third thing that happened was that I was very, very irritable for a week which gave me no patience for idiots. The problem with clueless people is that they are so clueless that not only do they not understand what's going on, but they also don't understand that they don't understand. So not only is there a problem, but they are the problem. This led me to the thought that when I am crazy, (ie: during chemo) I don't realize I'm crazy. So now that I know - next time when I'm crazy, I can just say to myself, "Self? Did you have chemo this week? If so, whatever you are thinking/feeling right now probably isn't real." And believe it or not, it will probably help.
Just as an aside, when I was searching for pictures for this post I plugged in the word crazy and some REALLY interesting images popped up. This one, which I call belly-button cat-butt, I just had to share.
PS - I had a post that I wrote when I was crazy, and perhaps I will edit it some and post, or maybe not, since I know now how I was crazy when I wrote it. It was all about how the chemo was messing with me, (and I didn't even have the crazy part in there since I didn't realize it at that time.) Or I may just use it to document some of the side effects/symptoms I have. In any event, I'll be posting something about that later. Aaaahh, it's good to be back.
Hello everyone! So are you getting the idea that chemo completely wipes me out? And it's more than just the physical stuff - intellectually, emotionally, physically, it's all gone for a week or so.
It also messes with my personality - just ask my husband.
But I'm finally feeling better (11 days after,) and I'm feeling like myself.
I had some interesting insights this week, in between feeling like crap and acting like a crazy person. I had the delightful experience of meeting with a fellow 'cancer mom' who has unbeknownst to her become my mentor. Kudos to Sara, you rock - but you probably already know that because everyone who has the blessing of knowing you tells you that. Here's a link to her blog - much inspiration there.
She told me that she feels like cancer has given her the gift of hitting the reset button back to 'factory settings'. That is exactly how I feel. I'm just starting to explore the idea that perhaps my current lifestyle doesn't really reflect who I've become. We all have so much baggage that accumulates through our lives. There are certain things I do or have for no other reason than because I've always done it that way, or that's how my mom did it, or it's the prevalent way it's done in the community I'm in. I'm starting to see areas of my life that are no longer a perfect fit. And by recognizing these areas, I'm able to then postulate what would be a better fit.Simple questions are giving rise to surprising answers. What do I truly love doing? What do I truly value? How do I want to spend my time on earth, and what do I want to leave behind? What do I need to support those things? Many times in my past I've felt my life was lacking, but I could not articulate what it was lacking. Cancer has a way of stripping away pretense and allowing truth to surface.
The third thing that happened was that I was very, very irritable for a week which gave me no patience for idiots. The problem with clueless people is that they are so clueless that not only do they not understand what's going on, but they also don't understand that they don't understand. So not only is there a problem, but they are the problem. This led me to the thought that when I am crazy, (ie: during chemo) I don't realize I'm crazy. So now that I know - next time when I'm crazy, I can just say to myself, "Self? Did you have chemo this week? If so, whatever you are thinking/feeling right now probably isn't real." And believe it or not, it will probably help.Just as an aside, when I was searching for pictures for this post I plugged in the word crazy and some REALLY interesting images popped up. This one, which I call belly-button cat-butt, I just had to share.
PS - I had a post that I wrote when I was crazy, and perhaps I will edit it some and post, or maybe not, since I know now how I was crazy when I wrote it. It was all about how the chemo was messing with me, (and I didn't even have the crazy part in there since I didn't realize it at that time.) Or I may just use it to document some of the side effects/symptoms I have. In any event, I'll be posting something about that later. Aaaahh, it's good to be back.
13 November 2011
It's Cancer Limerick Sunday!
Although its a part of my plan
Of chemo, I'm not a big fan
It makes me a bitch
And here's a big switch
I pee like an elderly man
Although its a part of my plan
Of chemo, I'm not a big fan
It makes me a bitch
And here's a big switch
I pee like an elderly man
10 November 211
I'd like to dedicate this post to my Land's End Dual Control Electric Heated Mattress Pad.
Oh how I love it so.
I fold a little blanket along the bottom of the bed and it helps trap the heat down on my Popsicle toes. This has helped my marriage. Dan likes to sleep in a cold room and pull the blankets out of the bottom of the bed over to his side and up around his neck. I no longer wake up freezing and uncovered because the heat comes from below me.
It is dual control and I tend to like my side a little warmer than Dan. In fact he rarely uses it until we get into really cold weather. When the rest of the bedrooms are 68 degrees, our bedroom hovers around 61, or less if the wind is blowing from the south or west. The vagaries of a 90 year old house.
When I was sick with the stomach flu last spring, shivering uncontrollably and having to jump in and out of bed to run to the bathroom, it was my mattress pad that warmed me up and kept me cozy and as comfortable as was possible. When I get achy from my chemo, I turn that puppy up and enjoy the warmth. And when I slightly feverish, I can push the covers off and not get chilled.
The best part about the mattress pad is that it takes the chill off the bed when I hop in at night. I turn it on before I get changed and brush my teeth and by the time I finish my routine it's warm. It's like when Dan has to get up early and I get to roll over and stretch out into his warm spot. Niiiiiiiice! It's the same all night long. When I move around I don't have cold sheets greeting me.
It is with this love in my heart that I retire to my bed for the next few days. I've been up since 12:30am thanks to my final post-chemo dose of steroids last night. I peed 9 time in 6 hours, like every 30 minutes until 6:30am. I'm starting to crash now. My back hurts and things are tasting funny - bitter and metallic. The inside of my mouth is already starting to breakdown with canker sores. A boatload of stubble fell out in my shower today and my tummy is not happy. I'll be back in a few days.
Oh how I love it so.
I fold a little blanket along the bottom of the bed and it helps trap the heat down on my Popsicle toes. This has helped my marriage. Dan likes to sleep in a cold room and pull the blankets out of the bottom of the bed over to his side and up around his neck. I no longer wake up freezing and uncovered because the heat comes from below me.
It is dual control and I tend to like my side a little warmer than Dan. In fact he rarely uses it until we get into really cold weather. When the rest of the bedrooms are 68 degrees, our bedroom hovers around 61, or less if the wind is blowing from the south or west. The vagaries of a 90 year old house.
When I was sick with the stomach flu last spring, shivering uncontrollably and having to jump in and out of bed to run to the bathroom, it was my mattress pad that warmed me up and kept me cozy and as comfortable as was possible. When I get achy from my chemo, I turn that puppy up and enjoy the warmth. And when I slightly feverish, I can push the covers off and not get chilled.
The best part about the mattress pad is that it takes the chill off the bed when I hop in at night. I turn it on before I get changed and brush my teeth and by the time I finish my routine it's warm. It's like when Dan has to get up early and I get to roll over and stretch out into his warm spot. Niiiiiiiice! It's the same all night long. When I move around I don't have cold sheets greeting me.
It is with this love in my heart that I retire to my bed for the next few days. I've been up since 12:30am thanks to my final post-chemo dose of steroids last night. I peed 9 time in 6 hours, like every 30 minutes until 6:30am. I'm starting to crash now. My back hurts and things are tasting funny - bitter and metallic. The inside of my mouth is already starting to breakdown with canker sores. A boatload of stubble fell out in my shower today and my tummy is not happy. I'll be back in a few days.
9 November 2011
Chemo Week v.2
Just a quick update to show I'm still alive. I had chemo yesterday, it remained thankfully uneventful. Per usual I was wired on steroids and benedryl but I'm starting to come down now which means I'll be in bed for 4 - 5 days shortly. I had my white blood cell booster shot today and that, too was uneventful.
I wore my green yarn wig and it was a big hit in the chemo lab.
Just a quick update to show I'm still alive. I had chemo yesterday, it remained thankfully uneventful. Per usual I was wired on steroids and benedryl but I'm starting to come down now which means I'll be in bed for 4 - 5 days shortly. I had my white blood cell booster shot today and that, too was uneventful.
I wore my green yarn wig and it was a big hit in the chemo lab.
6 November 2011
It's Cancer Limerick Sunday!
I did not anticipate trouble
In fact I thought it'd be subtle
But shaving my head
Is no good for my bed
All over my pillow is stubble
=====
The average amount of hair on a human head is 100,000 to 200,000. I had kind of thin hair so I'm going to say I had about 100,000. That is a LOT of stubble.
When I'm in the shower, I have bits of hair all over. Granted, while there I take advantage of the drain and rub my head to get as much as possible off. But every time I rinse it off, more falls out. I never know when to stop. How do I know when my shower is finished? When I get fed up.
I did not anticipate trouble
In fact I thought it'd be subtle
But shaving my head
Is no good for my bed
All over my pillow is stubble
=====
The average amount of hair on a human head is 100,000 to 200,000. I had kind of thin hair so I'm going to say I had about 100,000. That is a LOT of stubble.
When I'm in the shower, I have bits of hair all over. Granted, while there I take advantage of the drain and rub my head to get as much as possible off. But every time I rinse it off, more falls out. I never know when to stop. How do I know when my shower is finished? When I get fed up.
4 November 2011
Hair (Part Two)
My hair started falling out in earnest a couple of days ago. Now I'm second guessing my decision to shave early because I have 1/8 inch pieces of hair EVERYWHERE. Who knew that there are SO MANY hairs on ones head? Here's a picture of me trying to be proactive and contain the fallout. (Ha ha, get it? FALL OUT!)
I have to take the good along with the bad. On the plus side, this winter, I will not have to contend with 'hat head'. And the gal who waxes me will see a significant drop in her income and conversely, I'll be saving $$$. I really did have a secret desire to shave my head, and so I can cross that off my bucket list. Also, I've been coloring my hair for so long I have no idea what my natural state is. Maybe when it grows back I'll be a nice all over salt and pepper by now.
On the downside, I think I'm going to look pretty creepy with no eyebrows. Dan always jokes that he has two daughters and one eyebrow between them, and pretty soon he's going to have to add the wife to that equation. It is pretty cold when I don't wear a hat. I have a nice soft cotton knit one I wear to bed and when I toss and turn it sometimes pops off. That happened last night and I mumbled "Where'd my hat go?" Dan thought I said "Where'd my hand go?" Nope, that's leprosy, not cancer.
You know what cancer classes need to teach patients? How to tie a scarf properly so you can rock it. I look like a cross between a gypsy and a pirate. Aaaaarrgh! (And not the cool Johnny Depp kind, more like if Bozo the Clown went nautical and bad.) I'm not doing it right! I suppose if this were the seventies, when everyone wore groovy scarves, I'd be okay but that is just not the case. I guess I'm going to have to google that one - how do I tie a scarf on my head so I don't look douchy?
The kids are off school today so it's time for a whirlwind trip to Target and Kohl's. By the next time I'm feeling well, it's going to be way too close to Thanksgiving to venture out in the crowds. Winter boots, long sleeved shirts and pants, pants, pants! (We never did get the back-to-school shopping done!) I may even find myself a HAT.
My hair started falling out in earnest a couple of days ago. Now I'm second guessing my decision to shave early because I have 1/8 inch pieces of hair EVERYWHERE. Who knew that there are SO MANY hairs on ones head? Here's a picture of me trying to be proactive and contain the fallout. (Ha ha, get it? FALL OUT!)
I have to take the good along with the bad. On the plus side, this winter, I will not have to contend with 'hat head'. And the gal who waxes me will see a significant drop in her income and conversely, I'll be saving $$$. I really did have a secret desire to shave my head, and so I can cross that off my bucket list. Also, I've been coloring my hair for so long I have no idea what my natural state is. Maybe when it grows back I'll be a nice all over salt and pepper by now.
On the downside, I think I'm going to look pretty creepy with no eyebrows. Dan always jokes that he has two daughters and one eyebrow between them, and pretty soon he's going to have to add the wife to that equation. It is pretty cold when I don't wear a hat. I have a nice soft cotton knit one I wear to bed and when I toss and turn it sometimes pops off. That happened last night and I mumbled "Where'd my hat go?" Dan thought I said "Where'd my hand go?" Nope, that's leprosy, not cancer.
You know what cancer classes need to teach patients? How to tie a scarf properly so you can rock it. I look like a cross between a gypsy and a pirate. Aaaaarrgh! (And not the cool Johnny Depp kind, more like if Bozo the Clown went nautical and bad.) I'm not doing it right! I suppose if this were the seventies, when everyone wore groovy scarves, I'd be okay but that is just not the case. I guess I'm going to have to google that one - how do I tie a scarf on my head so I don't look douchy?
The kids are off school today so it's time for a whirlwind trip to Target and Kohl's. By the next time I'm feeling well, it's going to be way too close to Thanksgiving to venture out in the crowds. Winter boots, long sleeved shirts and pants, pants, pants! (We never did get the back-to-school shopping done!) I may even find myself a HAT.
3 November 2011
Cramming it in
Imagine you knew when you were going to get the flu. As if your doctor said to you, "Well, you are healthy now, but in two weeks, you'll be sick as a dog and unable to get out of bed." How would you plan things differently? Would you carry on as normal or would you try to prepare for it? Would you alter your scheduled activities around that week or leave it as is and see what you could do? Or would you even want to know, seeing as the anticipation of feeling bad would be hanging over your head for that time? Having chemo is like this.
For the next couple of months, I have a bad week, an okay week and a good week. This is my good week right now and I've scheduled 5 training sessions at the gym, and set a goal of 2 - 3 miles walking a day. (Thank goodness N was sick yesterday so I had to cancel the gym.) I walked a mile and I did a bunch of house chores - laundry, trash and recycling, un-decorating for Halloween. I'm sore from the previous gym session and from stretching to un-decorate and I'm getting ready to head out to the gym again this morning. People keep telling me to not overdo it. I'm not trying to bench press my weight here, people. I am taking it easy doing one or two muscles at a time, with light weights, just trying to get some tone back. As for the walking - it's WALKING. I go between 3 - 3.8 miles per hour on a 2% incline. I am not pushing it too hard, but I am pushing myself to do something after being in bed for 6 weeks. It's hard, I'm tired, I have to do it.
What am I thinking? I just feel like I have to cram in as much as I can while I'm feeling well. Laying around in bed for days makes my body hurt. If I don't get some activity in while I can, I'll feel worse. So this is the week. I have chemo on Tuesday and I want to feel as strong and healthy as possible going into it.
Imagine you knew when you were going to get the flu. As if your doctor said to you, "Well, you are healthy now, but in two weeks, you'll be sick as a dog and unable to get out of bed." How would you plan things differently? Would you carry on as normal or would you try to prepare for it? Would you alter your scheduled activities around that week or leave it as is and see what you could do? Or would you even want to know, seeing as the anticipation of feeling bad would be hanging over your head for that time? Having chemo is like this. 
For the next couple of months, I have a bad week, an okay week and a good week. This is my good week right now and I've scheduled 5 training sessions at the gym, and set a goal of 2 - 3 miles walking a day. (Thank goodness N was sick yesterday so I had to cancel the gym.) I walked a mile and I did a bunch of house chores - laundry, trash and recycling, un-decorating for Halloween. I'm sore from the previous gym session and from stretching to un-decorate and I'm getting ready to head out to the gym again this morning. People keep telling me to not overdo it. I'm not trying to bench press my weight here, people. I am taking it easy doing one or two muscles at a time, with light weights, just trying to get some tone back. As for the walking - it's WALKING. I go between 3 - 3.8 miles per hour on a 2% incline. I am not pushing it too hard, but I am pushing myself to do something after being in bed for 6 weeks. It's hard, I'm tired, I have to do it. What am I thinking? I just feel like I have to cram in as much as I can while I'm feeling well. Laying around in bed for days makes my body hurt. If I don't get some activity in while I can, I'll feel worse. So this is the week. I have chemo on Tuesday and I want to feel as strong and healthy as possible going into it.
2 November 2011
Today, A Guest Limerick!!!
With thanks to my Pretty Aunt Sylvia
A strong minded lady named Robyn
Had knockers inclined to be bobbin'
She learned she would lose em'
But said her new bosom
Is the reason you won't see her sobbin'
=====
FYI - I have Chemo coming up next week so the Blog may be scarce.
With thanks to my Pretty Aunt Sylvia
A strong minded lady named Robyn
Had knockers inclined to be bobbin'
She learned she would lose em'
But said her new bosom
Is the reason you won't see her sobbin'
=====
FYI - I have Chemo coming up next week so the Blog may be scarce.
1 November 2011
Miscellany
The next time I have a mastectomy, I'm going to have my armpits waxed because it is impossible to shave afterwards. You can't lift your arms for the first couple of weeks and the stubble feels like a freaking blow torch on the raw nerves post-surgery. Then when I finally did get my arms up, I had no surface feeling in my pit so I couldn't tell what the hell I was shaving.
The next time I get cancer, I'm going to write Tourette's Syndrome on all my medical histories. That way I can Scream MOTHER FUCKER!!!! during all my treatments and procedures.
People are freaked out by a bald gal. You can almost hear what's going on in their minds. The gym is the funnest part. They don't know if I'm sick or butch. I wear black a lot to keep them all guessing. No pink ribbons.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)