Time moves differently on chemo and it is not always predictable. Yesterday, I had a good night's sleep, but, after only eating breakfast and taking a shower, I went back to sleep for a couple hours. Even when I feel good enough to read, the chemical attack in my body never really lets me feel quite normal.
The next couple days should be my best for a while. I will try to take advantage as I did today when I found time to organize my pictures in Photoshop. On Wednesday, I begin three straight days of chemo I.V. infusions. They will be the strongest so far. For the next six weeks, the cumulative effects of chemo will likely require more down time. Just laying around--a hole in time for me to heal.
There is good news as I gear myself up mentally for the chemical onslaught. My tumor has shrunk to about half its original size. The so-called Meyer lemon size of the tumor is now what I would call walnut size. That's based on non-scientific probing with my hopeful fingers.
Posts
Peter -- A "hole in time" is a brilliantly accurate description of chemo. Son Greg, during his six-months daily chemo & radiation, with some weekends off to regroup, said he felt like he was drifting somewhere else by the end of the week or two-week's of chemo, though at the beginning of each round he was sort of his own self filtered by pain meds, giving people high-5s etc.
ReplyDeleteA hole can also be a den, a lair, a yurt, under the counterpane, or wherever you feel safest to concentrate your energy just to cope with the battle.
The journey from a Meyer lemon to a walnut is considerable, and excellent omen. (When I first read your post I misread "helpful" for "hopeful" fingers, but maybe "helpful" is also accurate.
Speaking of journeys, Mike and I recently undertook one on New Mexico's Jornado del Muerto where we had a scary/funny episode I emailed Viola about yesterday. If you're up for a laugh she'll tell you.
Great photo on this one, by the way, with the helpful guitar waiting at your feet to be picked up again.
L'chaim, Jean Sherrell
PS - When you are recovered and hungry again, I hope you and Viola will visit us in the orchard & I'll cook a Mideastern dinner (in which the Israeli and Arab sources coexist happily).
(Am commenting as "Anonymous" because I don't know what a "URL" or the other choices mean.