Busy as a Bee

I've been busy since I was released from the hospital and some of that includes catching up on loads of dirty laundry. I hate doing laundry, but the pile was enormous and needed to be done. I did one load on Saturday and then headed over to the State park for a Jaycees picnic. I haven't attended many Jaycee events since I was diagnosed so it was nice to attend something and see people I haven't seen in a while. I was glad to see so many new faces and some familiar ones too. Unfortunately, I didn't have the energy to participate in the games but I was able to appreciate them from afar. I finished up the laundry on Sunday and had dinner with Melissa.

I spent Sunday night worrying about getting caught driving with an expired license and decided to go to the MVA on Monday, especially since I had to drive to NIH for my bi-weekly blood work and felt certain that this would be the time I would get pulled over by Montgomery County's finest. I was a little poky in the morning and didn't get to the MVA until noon, which is normally a really bad time to be there. However, I must have arrived at 11:59 because there were only two people in front of me. I filled out the change of address paperwork while I waited, but I was having trouble writing clearly. One of the symptoms that I started experiencing early in July is numbness in my fingers and toes. This is just something that happens as a result of the chemo and I hear the feeling will return, but it does make writing, opening jars, and buttoning my pants a little difficult. I wrote my information as clearly as possible, but my handwriting is a little spidery looking right now.

I was called to one of the windows and the lady was very nice and helpful. I passed the vision test and then handed her my change of address form. I explained that my form might be hard to read because my fingers were numb and she asked why, so I told her I had cancer. She looked shocked and was appropriately sympathetic and we chatted about my chemo and her family's diabetes issues (however, she was eating from a very large bag of donuts from Giant's bakery department as we talked). She took my picture and I smiled as big as I could, all the while thinking, "Look like a movie star for this picture." I guess it worked because it's not a bad picture, although the wig does make me look older or "more mature." I look like someones mom with my wig, which is not a bad thing, it's just not my normal look.

Afterwards, I drove to NIH for my blood work and kicked myself when I arrived for not calling ahead. In order for them to know how much blood to draw, the doctor has to call in my orders and I try to call before I leave so that my orders are in when I arrive and I don't have to wait too long. I forgot to call and then the doctor forgot to put the orders in right away so they had to page him and ask him to do it again. I sat in the waiting room for more than an hour, and it wasn't even that busy. Luckily, I had decided to stop at Safeway for a Starbucks fix before I drove to Bethesda and had picked up a sandwich. I met a very nice young lady while I was waiting and asked her why she was there and she replied that she had a grapefruit-sized tumor in her ovaries and a "whole mess of other problems." I was shocked because she was young and seemed healthy. I wish her the best.

I had another busy day today with a massage at 11am, my workout with Tom at 1pm, and chauffering my dad to his physical therapy appointment at 3pm. I've been scheduling a massage every three weeks, right before each chemo round as a way to massage out some of the stress. I wasn't going to do it this time, but I noticed that my lower back, calves, and hamstrings have been really tight to the point where it hurts to walk. She really got the kinks out and I felt much better. I worked out with Tom, which I also try to do every three weeks. I struggled with one of the cardio exercises because I just don't have the stamina I used to have. I can't wait to get back to the gym more regularly and build up my strength and muscle.

My brother was supposed to drive Dad to his appointment, but he had scheduled a consultation at the same time for his landscaping business and Mom asked if I could do it. I remarked when we arrived at the rehab center that we made quite a pair - I have cancer and he's got a cast and cane. I was hoping to watch Dad do his workout, but his therapist wouldn't let me back there. I just wanted to see what kind of exercises he would be doing. Instead, I read every magazine in the freezing cold waiting room while I waited. I'm glad he's finally doing physical therapy because he can really start healing and hopefully get back his full range of motion soon. He'll have physical therapy twice a week for a while and until he can drive, it's going to be an interesting experience for Mom trying to organize rides for Dad.

Tomorrow I'm going to relax at home!