Sorry for the five month hiatus. Much as I wished it would not, my health has overtaken my life. I wanted it to be in a "little compartment". That was a crazy idea. The only way to survive (at least for me) is to try & integrate it into my "real" life. I won't confront you with every little complication, but it has & continues to be a roller coaster ride & I hate roller coasters. An eagle eyed Radiologist looking for something else found that I had a rather large kidney stone. This kidney stone seems to be harder to treat than my cancer. I think we are 99% of the way there though, finally. Oh & I fell down the house stairs & broke my ankle. What a joy that was. It's mostly healed now. So maybe you can help me finish this "joke" "Cancer, a kidney stone, & a broken ankle walk into a bar...."
My oncologist put my chemotherapy on hold due to the kidney stone treatment. He said "We don't give chemo to sick people" Huh? Seriously, did he say that? I adore & trust him, but WTF?
I've learned a lot the past year. Some of these things follow:
*you can never be embarrassed enough
*don't hire a friend to help you out. It does not work.
*If you cry enough different places, your reputation starts to scare people into being really, really nice to you.
*money is extremely important, but don't let it rule your life.
*sleep is for wimps
*you should always be on alert for incompetance
*I think I qualify for medical marijuana
*Friends who butt in are good friends still as long as they value my choices over their opinions
Some other "friends" disappear for one reason or another. Loss has been a recurring theme in my life, but didn't realize how fast a "friend" can disappear when you really need them. On the other hand, many people have stepped up and are being lifesavers.
*follow a doctor's instructions or fire the doctor. I've done this twice. I'm a good, compliant patient, but only for doctors who actually realize I am in the room with them.
*I am no doctor & should stop trying to apply logic to a medical problem
*Being sick with insurance sure beats the alternative. I have been in both positions this year. Currently & forever more I have great medical insurance.
I have two stacks of bills marked "paid" and "unpaid or partially paid" If I ever win the lottery, the hospital bill from August will move to the "paid" pile. Will someone buy me a lottery ticket?
*Being sick forces you to be selfish, not necessarily selfish, but you have to put yourself first on the list which is hard when that is not your style. If you don't put yourself first on the list, you're not even on the list IMO.
*If some complication happens to 30% of patients, it's going to happen to you.
*no matter how hard you try to get things prepared, when a woman leaves her house for the hospital, the house does not function. Pretty soon, this just becomes normal & you are no longer surprised when you are asked how to fix a problem at home while you are in a hospital bed. I may be wrong, but don't think this happens to men.
*You can take a drug several times & still suddenly develop a true allergy to it. I had my first and I hope last experience with hives.
*Don't take a sleeping pill in the middle of the night & expect it to work.
* Most doctors are wonderful, caring people. Problem is when they are that, but not necessarily the best at what they do. This has only maybe happened to me once & I'm still in the process of figuring it out.
*Broken ankle pills don't work on sore backs.
So I will try to be back to blogging here & I will also try to blog about things other than my health. This is actually one of my goals now to help me feel better--to begin to engage in my hobbies again.
