Typically when you get the flu it hits you without
warning. You gut it out for 2-3 days and
miraculously you feel better after a lot of sleep and plenty of fluids. I distinctly remember the doctor saying at my
first treatment that it will feel like I have the flu for the next 9 months to
a year. I completely understood what he
said at the time but never really comprehended it until treatment began.
After nearly 10 days of not feeling well, the last 3 have
been filled with bursts of energy to get things done before the next
round. Laundry, errands, catching up on
reading the latest school news (I apologize to Mrs. Kiel and Mrs. Corey for not
meeting deadlines) all have to be done in 3 days before the dreaded ‘chemo flu’
strikes again tomorrow night.
Even through all of the pain and discomfort I am trying my
hardest to stay as positive as I can. I
still have the mom guilt of not being able to jump up and help with homework, packing
lunches or just being present for daily chats but Kyle and the girls are faring
well in spite of it all.
We are still relying heavily on family, friends and
neighbors for meals which have been an absolute blessing. If you know someone who is ill please provide
a meal! As busy moms we all know that
the daily ‘what in the world am I going to do for dinner’ can be one of the
most stressful parts of your day. I have
such a sense of relief that my family is being fed. While I may not feel like eating, I have
heard from my family that all of the meals have been wonderful. I will learn from this and make sure I
provide meals to those in need once I am done with treatment.
While I am finding my diagnosis as both a blessing and a
curse all at the same time, I have been able to witness such beautiful
kindness. My army continues to support
me and for that I am so grateful.
Tomorrow begins treatment number 3 and I will be going down
for the count for the next week or so. Please
continue to keep me and my family in your prayers.
God IS Good!
Hello - my name is Leslie and I am a friend of your brothers. and we have two things in common - 1) we both have brothers named Tony (although mine insisted on being called Anthony when he turned 16) and 2) we have both been diagnosed with colon cancer when under 50 years old (my Doctor informed me I was officially a statistic - yoo hoo.
ReplyDeleteKeep going strong - I've been through it too (although I had a pump attached 24/7 for 6 weeks which when I graduated to the baby bottle, my happiness knew no bounds). But essentially, I've been there too - sleeping through the weekend (really and twice), making sure you had a spare set of clothes (just in case), listening to people telling you you need to eat when all you're thinking is "You want me to expend energy I don't have preparing food I don't want to eat?". If it doesn't go in the microwave, it doesn't get made.
BTW - a friend of mine with cancer and I have a pact that at the end of this, we're heading to Disneyworld. We'll add you to our list if you'd like!!!
Keep it going, stay strong and cancer sucks.
Leslie - thank you for the note! I am in for Disneyworld!
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