Well, at first, I thought that having this week 'off'' would be somewhat nerve-racking as I'd be chomping at the bit to get on with the treatment. But. . .
As I often say, the mojo works in mysterious ways, but it always works. . .
And the main really good reason why the delay is good has absolutely nothing to do with me. Yesterday morning, we got a call from Elaine's Mom's Life Alert at about 6:00 AM. Turns out, Mom was having some breathing problems and was taken to the Venice FL Hospital Emergency Room. Elaine went along and stayed till all was stabilized. Mom is going to be fine, but is beastly tired - something you earn when you've made it to 91, if you ask me. . . To cut to the chase, in lieu of going straight home from her short stay at the hospital, Mom is going to spend some rehab time at the rehab hospital where Elaine works. So, while my angel is driving me to treatments next week, she will have the relief of knowing that Mom is safe and in good hands. So, all will work out there!
Now, for the more mundane reasons of why I'm finding that having this week 'off' from treatment is a good thing. . . First, it's good for me physically. I'm getting some rest and with the high-calorie nutritional drink that I've been given, my drastic weight loss has been checked and I've actually gained a few pounds back. My appetite has also returned so I'll be in better shape to start the radiation and chemo next week than I would have been this week. Weirdly enough, I actually feel better this week than I have in months. I went into the office yesterday to say 'hey' to the folks there before beginning two months of treatment and was told how good I look by many people there. Hell, I should have done this sooner!!!
And I have to also think that I'll be a little more emotionally ready to handle the treatment. I had my first actual anxiety attack late last week and an mini one a few days ago. I think that I had to go through them. I'm not going to ever totally get over being scared, but I'm thinking that some momentary walks on the dark side will help me maintain my balance and keep my focus on what it's going to take from me to get through this.
And I'm really getting the chance to appreciate my support team. I always shy away from naming names as I don't want to leave anyone out, cause there are always those behind the scenes folks working in anonymity. But I'll run the risk to shout out to Elaine who is my rock and without whom I would not have the proverbial snowball's chance of getting through this, to Karen who is going though the cancer drill with me for the second time in 10 years, and to Will who is keeping me supplied with happy-hour milkshakes from Steak and Shake and ensuring that my book and CD supply is ready for the 'idle' time I'll be having. And, of course, to all my children, Kate, Joey, Adrienne, and Liz, whose thoughts, emails ,texts, and FB posts, brighten my days like no others.
The countdown to recovery is in motion and I'm ready for it to begin.
Peace and love to all!!
Joe
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