I made it! Didn't start to fade until about 2:30 and called it a day about an hour later. Work was very kind and gave me an easy day. Good to see all my co-workers again....so many smiles!
Of course, with the combination of my aging brain, anesthesia, and being off 7 weeks, I sort of stumbled over a couple people's names. Only mildly embarrassing.
My computer behaved very nicely today, which was a bonus. It took me a little bit to remember how to use my smart phone. I felt dumb. (tee hee)
So now I am heading to my lovely sofa; to recline, perchance to nap before dinner.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Back to real life
Well, now I will see just how recovered I am with starting back to work tomorrow. I plan on taking a couple 10 minute "power naps" during the day. I am good at those.
Whenever my brain starts throwing out random thoughts of how hard it is going to be, I quiet the chatter with other thoughts, such as "Let's just wait and see, OK?" "All will be well." "I can only do what I can do in a day." So I am going into the week with a positive attitude, in spite of my brain chatter. I am packing a good lunch........and a little pillow.
Let me tell you about my wonderful day yesterday.
I had several errands to run, one of which was getting my car ready for work - getting gas and a car wash. Got my new glasses re-adjusted. Headed to the store that carries my favorite breakfast accompaniment .. frozen mango chunks to put on my cereal. They have been out of them for a week. I always get 4-5 bags at a time, and I was down to my last half bag and getting nervous. THEY HAD IT! Yea. And as I exited the store I heard some music from around the other side of the building....it was an accordion I have seen a young accordion player there before a few times, but had not seen him for awhile. He puts his case on the sidewalk and plays for tips. As I turned around to go seek him out I could hear the music clearer and he was playing my favorite song....."Somewhere Over the Rainbow".....on accordion! You had to be there! The arrangement he was playing was glorious! I stood there the whole time with a huge grin on my face. And there was sunshine instead of rain! It made my day!
So I have gotten most of the tasks on my "must-do-before-Wed." list done, and made a bit dent in some of the larger looming projects. I have read 8 books, with one of them being a 750 page tome on Frank Sinatra! I have almost gotten my email Inbox tamed down to a manageable size.
We had our second meeting with our pastor about the wedding....getting the order of service pinned down and clarifying language. It is clear that I need to get going on the invitations on my next week off. One thing at a time - it all will get done.
Ready to relax tonight and start the next chapter tomorrow........
And again, my gratitude to you all for the good thoughts and wishes!
Whenever my brain starts throwing out random thoughts of how hard it is going to be, I quiet the chatter with other thoughts, such as "Let's just wait and see, OK?" "All will be well." "I can only do what I can do in a day." So I am going into the week with a positive attitude, in spite of my brain chatter. I am packing a good lunch........and a little pillow.
Let me tell you about my wonderful day yesterday.
I had several errands to run, one of which was getting my car ready for work - getting gas and a car wash. Got my new glasses re-adjusted. Headed to the store that carries my favorite breakfast accompaniment .. frozen mango chunks to put on my cereal. They have been out of them for a week. I always get 4-5 bags at a time, and I was down to my last half bag and getting nervous. THEY HAD IT! Yea. And as I exited the store I heard some music from around the other side of the building....it was an accordion I have seen a young accordion player there before a few times, but had not seen him for awhile. He puts his case on the sidewalk and plays for tips. As I turned around to go seek him out I could hear the music clearer and he was playing my favorite song....."Somewhere Over the Rainbow".....on accordion! You had to be there! The arrangement he was playing was glorious! I stood there the whole time with a huge grin on my face. And there was sunshine instead of rain! It made my day!
So I have gotten most of the tasks on my "must-do-before-Wed." list done, and made a bit dent in some of the larger looming projects. I have read 8 books, with one of them being a 750 page tome on Frank Sinatra! I have almost gotten my email Inbox tamed down to a manageable size.
We had our second meeting with our pastor about the wedding....getting the order of service pinned down and clarifying language. It is clear that I need to get going on the invitations on my next week off. One thing at a time - it all will get done.
Ready to relax tonight and start the next chapter tomorrow........
And again, my gratitude to you all for the good thoughts and wishes!
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Life is busy again..and some more great news!
Sorry it has been so long since my last post. I think I was just enjoying the fact that I didn't have any more MD appointments or scans or waiting for results! And there was Valentine's Day in there, also! And my Dad's 91st birthday, and my folks 66th Anniversary! Whew!
I have been attempting to ramp up my daily activities to prepare for returning to the work force. And then there have been lots of talking and preparations being discussed about our upcoming WEDDING! Yes, wedding!
We were not planning on having a big wedding until this cancer stuff came up. We were maybe going to be part of a group wedding at our church, or just go down to the courthouse. But the cancer made us want to have a big "do" of our own and walk down the aisle of our church surrounded by family and friends, and celebrate our 22 years of loving each other already. So May 18th is the date.
I was finding myself getting all anxious the other day as I was on errands and thinking to myself, "I am more stressed about all the details for the wedding than I was for the surgery!" That was a sad realization. So we are determined to keep things simple, and we are not agonizing about any decisions. We talk about 3 options for anything and make a decision! We are going boldly forward! I will be writing more about the wedding plans, I am sure.
I had a small epiphany this morning while I was stretching after my workout. Nothing was sore during the stretching, and I was exhilarated after doing 3 miles on the elliptical, and I had the thought that my body feels like mine again. I feel like myself. After the surgery, I was guarding my right side a lot. First, because of the pain, and then protecting it from other people as they would want to hug me and pat me on the back. And I was very focused on my breathing, assessing how I was doing, and trying to heal fast. All about some foreign thing that was being forced upon me....a foreign land of "convalescence". Now it feels like I am back to my regular life. And I like it!
I must say that setting my alarm clock to 5:30 AM is disgusting after all these weeks of just waking up when my body was ready to awaken! But I am prepping myself so that returning to work won't be quite so traumatic if I am used to being up and moving at that hour.
All for now, my friends. I will write again before starting work on the 27th, but then you probably won't hear from me for several days or so. All is well.
I have been attempting to ramp up my daily activities to prepare for returning to the work force. And then there have been lots of talking and preparations being discussed about our upcoming WEDDING! Yes, wedding!
We were not planning on having a big wedding until this cancer stuff came up. We were maybe going to be part of a group wedding at our church, or just go down to the courthouse. But the cancer made us want to have a big "do" of our own and walk down the aisle of our church surrounded by family and friends, and celebrate our 22 years of loving each other already. So May 18th is the date.
I was finding myself getting all anxious the other day as I was on errands and thinking to myself, "I am more stressed about all the details for the wedding than I was for the surgery!" That was a sad realization. So we are determined to keep things simple, and we are not agonizing about any decisions. We talk about 3 options for anything and make a decision! We are going boldly forward! I will be writing more about the wedding plans, I am sure.
I had a small epiphany this morning while I was stretching after my workout. Nothing was sore during the stretching, and I was exhilarated after doing 3 miles on the elliptical, and I had the thought that my body feels like mine again. I feel like myself. After the surgery, I was guarding my right side a lot. First, because of the pain, and then protecting it from other people as they would want to hug me and pat me on the back. And I was very focused on my breathing, assessing how I was doing, and trying to heal fast. All about some foreign thing that was being forced upon me....a foreign land of "convalescence". Now it feels like I am back to my regular life. And I like it!
I must say that setting my alarm clock to 5:30 AM is disgusting after all these weeks of just waking up when my body was ready to awaken! But I am prepping myself so that returning to work won't be quite so traumatic if I am used to being up and moving at that hour.
All for now, my friends. I will write again before starting work on the 27th, but then you probably won't hear from me for several days or so. All is well.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
ALL CLEAR !!
No signs of any other cancer cells anywhere! So now I will just be having regular scans every 3 months so we can do early detection and intervention if any other pesky cells turn up.
We are both too exhausted to go out to dinner to celebrate, so will have just a quiet evening at home, counting our blessings.
I am so grateful for the outpouring of support.....prayers, chanting, good thoughts, cards and gifts, comments on the blog. It has all meant so much to me. We are spiritual beings having a human experience, eh? So many blessings.
I will be heading back to work on the 27th., so need to start gearing up for that...doing a little more each day. All is good.
Grateful, grateful, grateful!
Saturday, February 9, 2013
MRI.....
...... I think we should use MRI's as a method of interrogation of terrorists. A couple hours of that clanging will melt anyone's resolve and people would spill any secrets they knew!
It has been a few years since my last MRI. It was much noisier than I had recalled. For those of you never having had the occasion to need an MRI....... imagine someone holding a bullhorn 4 inches from your head and randomly sending sounds through that bullhorn. Some are like a crazed Martha Stewart mixing up a batch of 6 inch bolts in her mixer. Others are a smoke alarm in am office amplified through the bullhorn. Then there is the jack-hammer rat-a-tat-tating on a steel plate. You get the idea. The last time I had an MRI I was having a migraine before I got into the machine. It was an excruciating hour. So this was was not that bad, I only had a little headache after the test. Which we addressed with Mexican food and a Coke!
I won't get the results until Tuesday when we meet with the oncologist again.
I have gained 5 pounds through my recovery! Time to pay attention again. I am doing 20 minutes a day on the elliptical and going further each day. Trying not to push it, but gently doing a little more each day. My coughing is lessening, as is my shortness of breath. And the soreness on my right side is almost gone!
I have made the difficult decision to stop playing trombone in the jazz band. It takes a lot of time and energy for me to play at the level needed to contribute to this great band, and I want the flexibility to be able to travel more on my days off. I will probably re-join another band that does not require so much practice on my part and has fewer concerts that the jazz band. So I will still be playing music in the future, just with scaled back demands on my time and energy.
But my immediate priority will be having enough energy to do my work schedule. I am slated to be back at work on Feb. 27th.
Today I plan on working on the mound of paperwork that has accumulated on my desk in the past couple months and see what I can un-earth from the pile....and file.....and recycle.
Tomorrow we are supposed to be seeing the sun again, so I would like to head to one of my favorite beaches and walk and listen to the waves. My last time there was just prior to my surgery. I found a rock shaped somewhat like a heart....always a good omen.
Lighthearted thought for the day:
"I can attest to the immediate and dependable benefit of exercise. After a trip to the gym I enjoy an glow of smug self-righteousness that can last an hour of more."
Seeking Enlightenment Hat by Hat, pg 182., author Nevada Barr
It has been a few years since my last MRI. It was much noisier than I had recalled. For those of you never having had the occasion to need an MRI....... imagine someone holding a bullhorn 4 inches from your head and randomly sending sounds through that bullhorn. Some are like a crazed Martha Stewart mixing up a batch of 6 inch bolts in her mixer. Others are a smoke alarm in am office amplified through the bullhorn. Then there is the jack-hammer rat-a-tat-tating on a steel plate. You get the idea. The last time I had an MRI I was having a migraine before I got into the machine. It was an excruciating hour. So this was was not that bad, I only had a little headache after the test. Which we addressed with Mexican food and a Coke!
I won't get the results until Tuesday when we meet with the oncologist again.
I have gained 5 pounds through my recovery! Time to pay attention again. I am doing 20 minutes a day on the elliptical and going further each day. Trying not to push it, but gently doing a little more each day. My coughing is lessening, as is my shortness of breath. And the soreness on my right side is almost gone!
I have made the difficult decision to stop playing trombone in the jazz band. It takes a lot of time and energy for me to play at the level needed to contribute to this great band, and I want the flexibility to be able to travel more on my days off. I will probably re-join another band that does not require so much practice on my part and has fewer concerts that the jazz band. So I will still be playing music in the future, just with scaled back demands on my time and energy.
But my immediate priority will be having enough energy to do my work schedule. I am slated to be back at work on Feb. 27th.
Today I plan on working on the mound of paperwork that has accumulated on my desk in the past couple months and see what I can un-earth from the pile....and file.....and recycle.
Tomorrow we are supposed to be seeing the sun again, so I would like to head to one of my favorite beaches and walk and listen to the waves. My last time there was just prior to my surgery. I found a rock shaped somewhat like a heart....always a good omen.
Lighthearted thought for the day:
"I can attest to the immediate and dependable benefit of exercise. After a trip to the gym I enjoy an glow of smug self-righteousness that can last an hour of more."
Seeking Enlightenment Hat by Hat, pg 182., author Nevada Barr
Monday, February 4, 2013
Yee Haw!
Just home from the oncologist appointment.....
No interferon treatment!!!!! Yea! He agrees with my thinking that a year of feeling lousy during treatment with a negligible increase in life expectancy does not make sense. We dealt with the cancer by removing it, so there is nothing to treat. I will be getting regular scans of varying types to identify any potential new cancers...... so they will keep a close eye on things.
This doc did want me to have an MRI of my head and neck to make sure there were no stray cancer cells in the brain or lymph nodes in the neck, since those are not easily detected by the PET scan I had before. That will be happening this Friday, and then I meet with the oncologist again the following Tues. He said that if there is something abnormal in the lymph nodes in the neck they will do a little surgery to remove them. I am very pleased he is doing more diagnostics to rule out any other problem areas.
All will be well.
I am tired. Enough excitement for today. We are doing our happy dance!
No interferon treatment!!!!! Yea! He agrees with my thinking that a year of feeling lousy during treatment with a negligible increase in life expectancy does not make sense. We dealt with the cancer by removing it, so there is nothing to treat. I will be getting regular scans of varying types to identify any potential new cancers...... so they will keep a close eye on things.
This doc did want me to have an MRI of my head and neck to make sure there were no stray cancer cells in the brain or lymph nodes in the neck, since those are not easily detected by the PET scan I had before. That will be happening this Friday, and then I meet with the oncologist again the following Tues. He said that if there is something abnormal in the lymph nodes in the neck they will do a little surgery to remove them. I am very pleased he is doing more diagnostics to rule out any other problem areas.
All will be well.
I am tired. Enough excitement for today. We are doing our happy dance!
Friday, February 1, 2013
On the road again.......
....actually, on the Elliptical Trainer again! I did a whole mile on the elliptical and it only took me 16.5 minutes! Yikes! I usually do 3-4 miles in 30-45 minutes, depending on how good the book is that I am reading. But it was a good start. I was not trying to do anything strenuous just get the legs and lungs going together again. And doing my stretches felt good, also...and nothing hurt! Yea!
I felt good enough to do some housekeeping.....slow and steady, little jobs.
Rested.
Played my horn.
Rested.
Went and looked at TVs to buy.....no decision.
Made dinner.
Time to watch basketball on TV.........
I felt good enough to do some housekeeping.....slow and steady, little jobs.
Rested.
Played my horn.
Rested.
Went and looked at TVs to buy.....no decision.
Made dinner.
Time to watch basketball on TV.........
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