Monday, June 30, 2008

Let's get Physical!

There’s so much to tell you, dear internet! First of all, I love you. I love you in the complicated way that grown-ups love things.

What have I been up to? Well let’s see. Putting out little fires at work. We’re firemen, Kerry, that’s what we are. I know I should say “fire people” but Fireman is just kind of a sexy word. Speaking of sexy firemen that are women, yesterday was the Seattle Gay Pride Parade and you bet the female firemen marching in the parade were about the sexiest lesbians I’ve seen in a while. I mean, besides all the sexy lesbians that I actually know. Which is a lot of sexy lesbians. What do you want to bet happens when people google “sexy lesbian?” They’ll end up right here! This is not what I thought my post was going to be about…

Um. Moving on. Getting physical. Last weekend I went to a yoga class, but I promised Nathan I wouldn’t be one of those people who talked about yoga a lot. I’m going again tomorrow. I think it’s a better way to spend money than the co-pays at the physical therapist who just had me walk on a treadmill for 20 minutes.


On Saturday I went hiking up in Skykomish with Julian and Beth who are training to climb mountains. I was hesitant to bring my out of shape bones with them, but they found a trail that had a nice lake-y, stopping point mid-way so I didn't have to go as far as them. I brought nectarines and the Amber Spyglass to occupy me and spent a nice 3 hours sitting on the shore of a beautiful alpine lake, enjoying the quiet and the nature. It's my job (sort of) to have high standards when it comes to trail maintenance, but still, trail was a total disaster (spring storms) and we had to bushwhack and clamber in the first mile which was pretty exhausting. I only made it to the 2 mile mark which was the lovely Trout Lake when I decided it was Golden Compass time. I won’t pretend like the hike was burlier than it really was because Julian sometimes reads this and I don’t want him to think I’m a liar or an exaggerator (even though I’m guilty of the latter often enough,) but I was pretty tired after 2 miles. Mostly I felt extremely nauseated. The methotrexate gives me this very subtle baseline nausea that’s not so bad, but combined with “strenuous” hiking, it was kind of pushing it harder than I wanted to push. Bah! Damn you, cancer! I am impatient to be through with you and get my body back!

Yesterday I went to Pride with my friends. It was really fun. I will post pictures because I remembered my camera. And then I remembered to take pictures. Glory be.

What else can I tell you about my week, internet? It was all about work! That’s why I can’t say much… When I was in PGH the other week, I noticed my colleagues running around all crazy-like and I remembered how I had been like them last year. And I thought somewhat condescendingly that they really needed to chill out and have some cancer-perspective (cancerective?) about life… Anyway, it was just that I was in denial of how much work there is and I ran around all week like a crazy person and dreamt about work every night that I didn’t take a Xanex and Ambien combo. Today, I feel like I have time to breath for… the next 20 minutes. Then I’m going to see Dr. K. He was gone last week and I kind of missed him. I never go two weeks without seeing my Oncologist-boo, so it will be good to see him. I’m going to ask him about BRAC-1/2 gene today.

Oh and last Monday I got my period again. That’s 3 in a row, every 28 days. This means that I’ve only missed one since starting chemo which I think means my reproductive system is obviously all systems go. Luckily I got tons of condoms at Pride yesterday, so just in case I ever have sex again I will be prepared. Like that will happen!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hon, for the nausea, get your doc to prescribe Phenergan. Don't let 'em give you the suppository, tho, insist on the liquid. And take it with a bit of milk or a cracker, because Phenergan burns really bad no matter which way it goes in ya. It will knock the nausea right out, so just take a bit at a time, b/c it makes a person very sleepy.

It is upsetting to hear about someone fighting cancer whose docs are not proactive enough, and IMHO, that is what's going on, you shouldn't have to be the one ASKING and negotiating for medicines, THEY ought to be the ones thinking up what would help maintain quality while going through the treatments.

I had to advocate for my aunt, and let me tell ya, it was a constant battle. A person can go get any crazy drug they want on the street, yet they have to fight doctors to get needed medicines. I hope when this is all over you will write a book.

Anonymous said...

come to yoga with me! it's free!
monday & wednesday at 7.00 am, thursday at 5.30 and saturday at 11.00. we have fun and vinyasa runs in circles, so you can always take a childs pose round whenever. and then jump back in the flow.

later, sexy fertile hiking lady
annie

Faith G said...

I haven't lost my period during chemo, although some of them were pretty lame. BUt for me it's kind of exciting, because it made me feel like nature was stronger than all those chemicals they are pumping into me.

Have you had hot flashes yet?

Anonymous said...

Tried the google thing... your blog isn't in the first group of google hits when you type in "sexy lesbians" :(
Peace,
Chris