A Busy Social Week

I might not be chugging along with the Strength Condition, but I'm working on the Social Endurance! I stayed home last Tuesday and Wednesday after my long treatment and then made it to the Astros game Wednesday night. We had a blast! Of course, the walk off single in the 9th helped with that. On Thursday I went to lunch and a spur-of-the-moment Grandma Shower for Anne Mueller. Every new grandma needs "stuff" to keep at her house. Friday we ate dinner at the home of friends and Saturday we went to Allison Dorman's wedding. Whew! The amazing thing is that I managed to hang in there and do all those things. I slept late every morning after the fact and am ashamed to say I slept through Sunday's sermon on television. However, I see it as a victory of sorts, especially since the coming 2 weeks are the ones that give me such problems.

I was able to have my long treatment today which means there are only TWO long treatments left. Four short and two long are all that are left in the 16 week treatment course. It's amazing how that is such a sense of relief in my mind. I know there is still a lot of time ahead, but I truly can believe the end is in sight. My red count was down so I had another shot to stimulate red cell production and will start my series of shots tomorrow that boost my white cell production. What ever it takes. Oh, and a banana a day for my potassium. That's the easiest one of all!

David handed me an article today that was in a magazine in the doctor's office. It put a different point of view on the fatigue issue and made me feel somewhat better about my inability to climb the stairs without gasping. Just like the anemia is a side effect of the chemo, not a deficiency in my diet, the fatigue is also a side effect and not caused by me refusing to walk around the block in the heat and humidity. I had already toyed with the idea of finding a personal trainer to work with at one of the gyms, but this article cautioned against going with just anyone. It seems there are people trained to work with chemo patients, although few and far between, so that you don't push your body so hard that you make the situation worse instead of better. Like everything else it's going to take patience to allow the chemicals to pass and the body to heal itself from the effects of those chemicals. Not exactly one of my strong suits! Sooooo, if anyone out there is aware of a program or person who helps chemo patients rehab, let me know. It would probably be worth at least a few sessions to make sure I'm doing things the right way.

Thanks again for the cards that continue to come in every week. Everyone has put me to shame when it comes to thinking to send cards. I hope I will be better about it in the future now that I know what a blessing just a simple card can be.

It's time to lay low for a day or two and start the blasted diet where I don't "eat dirt". I really miss fresh fruits and vegetables, especially this time of year. Hopefully I'll have nothing earth shattering to report and will manage to stay out of St. Luke's this time!

Love, Rhonda