Getting Ready for a Marathon

I have a lot of things on my mind today, which means this post will either be long and take a while or I will get tired, and much less information will be posted.

Today Bonita comes to help out.

Yesterday was my first post-op appointment in Omaha.  The incision healed well, the staples were taken out and now I can think about doing something with my hair expect a braid down the side.  Everything seems to be proceeding normally.  The forehead part is healing down well and the inside as far as they can see is healing like it supposed to, also. 

I don't get as tired as I did at first, but now I am on a "do a little more activity every day" mode, but carefully.

Several of my friends are going in for fitness these days, running, biking, and signing up for runs and marathons.

So, I'm going to join in too.  I'm getting ready for a marathon that in six weeks or so is going to do things to my body I can't even realize right now.  I'm not sure I even want to imagine.  In some ways getting ready for cancer treatment is getting ready for a big race.  I have to eat well, with extra protein, I have to make progress every day with my physical activity.  I need to get as well as I can get before treatment starts so I can feel as well as I can going into it.

So, right now, everything is on track.  I will have my chemo and radiation in Kearney after all.  What a help that will be for the toll on my body! I see the medical and radiation oncologists next week.  The week after will be follow up appointments again with both surgeons this time. And the next week I go see the dental oncologist for dental maintenance and protection.  

Because, they have extended the realm of radiation larger than at first.  They plan to irradiate the lymph nodes in my neck.  So, they are talking about quite a large area, from my forehead, down to my collar bone, including the neck.  The main side effects besides the usual ones of radiation, is the frontal lobes of the brain when radiated causes fatigue, which could last up to a year since radiation does not stop working when treatment does.  

As I understand it now, the radiation and chemo will take place at the same time.  We'll know a lot more once we visit with the oncology doctors 

In about six weeks from surgery.  No dragging feet, just keep on marching from step to step.

I really appreciate everyone's confidence in me and my ability to keep positive.  You people are going to make it very hard for me to wallow around in self pity and complain.  

Do I worry about what if they didn't get it all? What if it comes back? What if in spite of everything that is done, and  what everybody says, it comes back?  I do, a little, a very little.  I can't see wasting what energy I have worrying about things that might never happen.  And if they do, well we'll all cross that bridge when we come to it. 

I might still be a bit in the 'denial' mode.  But, I do know that I can accept most things as they come along.  Faith and Trust go a long way in helping me be who I am.  

Blogs can get very boring sometimes without any photos, and these were taken by the waiting party in the surgery waiting room during surgery.  It looks rather like they were having a party in there.   

It was so nice for Jim and Lynette to have helping watchers. 

They now have electronic boards in the waiting room so family can see the progress. I'm the first one.

And a nice little note for my room!