Saturday, May 31, 2008

Continuing the Journey

I have an RSS feed for CNN health news. There was an article about Arlen Spector's battle with Hodgkin's lymphomona. He talked about how he had worken up with an excruciating headache and then went and played racket ball. Basically, he said you have to ignore your chemo symptoms. Fortunately, the NYTimes today has an article about cancer and attitude that is a bit more forgiving.

Basically chemo stinks. It is just awful. Different people react in different ways. I have five or six really good (read normal) days in each three week cycle. The rest of the time, I'm really, really, tired and nap a lot.

I had likened this to a journey to a new destination. Sometimes on a journey, you get to a place where you just have to slog through. It might be backpacking up the Sierras. There's a 1000 foot climb in front of you, through a pine forest. No spectacular views, just put one foot in front of the other and keep moving. Or it's a long drive through the desert, more of the same: sand, sand, sand. That's where I am now.

But along that long slog, you manage to step into a hole and hurt your ankle or you in your tiredness fall. I had some slightly different and unmentionable reactions to the chemo this time. UGH.

But, it will be over. I am almost half way through. Yes!

2 comments:

Jules said...

I continue to pray for you, as does the congregation at St Stoic.

Gannet Girl said...

And prayers coming from this quarter, too.