Sunday, June 28, 2015

update on the fly

I am finally feeling like myself again. I realized that today, in fact, despite the fact that I have a cold, gifted to me by my children.

Since I last wrote, I had a wonderful week in Florida. I then attended my son's Grade 6 "leaving ceremony" and had treatment.

Today was spent attempting to get ready for a little family vacation. There is so much catching up to do that it seems a little silly to be going away but it will be good for us.

The neurosurgeon says all is well. No heavy lifting or dyeing my hair for three months. My head still hurts enough to need Tylenol a couple of times a day. I have an MRI at the end of August.

I rode my bike to an appointment this week. It was just four minutes away but I forgot my lock so I had to come and go twice. It felt really good.

This week will involve some long walks. Maybe I'll even start running again. 

I need to talk to my oncologist about what might come next. I need to stop worrying about what might come next.

I need to enjoy the normal.


Monday, June 08, 2015

others' eloquent voices

I was actually doing much better between when I blogged last time and when I went in for CyberKnife radiation last Thursday. I was walking and eating (and had even been out for dinner once and gone to book club). I was still needing to rest a lot but I could see the improvement in every day. And that was heartening.

CyberKnife was a major setback. I remember that it was last time, too (so much so that I never really wrote about it - just wanted to move on). That's just how it goes for me, I guess. I had brain swelling, headache, nausea, loss of balance, fatigue (yet little sleep) and a very odd taste in my mouth.I still do. But the light is at the end of the tunnel (I think it took a week last time and it was been 4 days) and I will soon be able to concentrate - and to live again. I know it.

Meanwhile, yesterday was "National Cancer Survivor's Day" in the US (and supposedly around the world, including in Canada). I missed it but lots of people with mets and who post about mets did. Here are three good ones. These are particularly eloquent. Something to think about.

National Cancer Survivors Day® & Why I’m Just Not that Into It (by Nancy Stordahl at Nancy's Point) 

Not a Survivor (by the Cancer Curmudgoen at The Cult of Perfect Motherhood)

The Trouble with "Survivor" and the Lack of Boundaries (by Susanne at Metathriving: the blog)