Wow! It's been a very different two weeks. I started last week off with a commitment to change my outlook. And, though it's been bumpy, I believe I am on my way. The Monday walk led to very sore legs Tuesday. Along with banging the bad leg on the corner of a table, I have a fairly stiff knee. Crispy knee.
It's been a productive two weeks work-wise. I feel like I am finally out of the medicated fog and am actually making progress. The kicker is that I received news that my mother was hospitalized last weekend. It took 36 hours, but we now know she has been hit with Shingles. I am sure the stress of worrying about my health contributed to the outbreak. So, now she is on antivirals and pain killers. I just hope it clears up soon. Shingles are NOT pleasant. I am just sorry I can't be there to help her and dad and little sis Dee.
My last two appointments with Dr. Danny went well. We are past the hump! Now come the real side effects. The sunburn is becoming more significant and the skin is starting to peel. And there is pain in the area on which the radiation is focusing. Dr. Danny says that is to be expected, and find that I am experiencing more pain as the radiation continues. I'm slowing down now. It is harder to walk. I find I need assistance getting up, moving around, etc. I flex the knee almost constantly. I can feel the scar tissue, and I know that is what is slowing me down. So, I keep breaking it up by flexing - a lot. I feel the resistence every time I bend my knee, so I keep it bent as much as possible.
In all, I think the side effects I've been experiencing are relatively mild compared to other patients. Every day I go to the Radiation office and I see so many different people in various stages of treatment. Last week it felt like children's week. So many children! Many were bald, some were bloated; all of them though were smiling. I did not see one unhappy child at all. They were surrounded by family and care givers, laughing, telling stories, doing craft activities. I find myself watching the children. They are so young, and this is all they know of their lives. I want to ask them what keeps them so positive. I think that as adults we've lived a while, and to experience cancer at our age, I think we have a more difficult time coping. Every day when I go for radiation, I feel lifted when I see a child in the waiting room. I know that this is not the place I want to see a child, but their positiveness really seems to infuse the other patients with the same cheerfulness.
The waiting room at the office is spacious and filled with windows. As you enter the information desk is front and center. To your right are two computers where radiation patients check in. To your left are the sliding glass doors through which the patients go to receive treatment. Each patient has a lanyard with a UPC code. We scan the UPC code in and then sit and wait for a radiologist.
The remainder of the waiting room is part waiting room, part resting room. In one corner is a coffee and water station. As you walk towards the station you pass rows of comfy chairs and coffee tables. Next to the drink station is a glassed-in room with children's books, a chalkboard, and other fun toys for young children. A jigsaw table sits outside the room. Shelves near it are filled with boxes of gently used jigsaw puzzles. A puzzle in progress always covers the table. Comfy couches and chairs are placed in a circle in a large atrium. Two to three times a week a group of care givers provide crafts for patients and family members alike. These are done on the floor in the atrium. Naturally, sheets are placed on the floor. It is refreshing to see the children participating. And when you look around, their artwork hangs on the windows and walls.
The hospital, which is a learning hospital for the University of Florida (go Gators!), organizes several activities for cancer patients. Every day there is something different. Cancer survivors will not be surprised to find that several of the activities are centered around food. Tours of the finer restaurants, along with significantly reduced dining prices, are de rigeur. These occur two to three times a week. Naturally, there are several support groups for both patients and family members. There is also a breakfast club.
So, overall, treatment, though necessary, somewhat cumbersome and possibly painful, is also (dare I say) fun. I find myself looking forward to radiation because there is always something going on in the waiting room, and the people - employees, patients, family members, friends - are happy to see you. And while I will be happy to be done with radiation next week, I will miss the time spent riding to and fro with DH and the time spent in the waiting room.
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