Friday, July 17, 2015

I'm okay, you're okay

Something that came up last week was how the summary of Jim's cancer seemed pretty dire when seen all at once. Yes, it's been a roller coaster ride since Memorial Day weekend, but we've had ups and downs during that time. And life has continued--we've both been working, cleaning house, going grocery shopping, running errands, etc.

This blog was meant to keep family and friends updated on the big news. But neither of us feels comfortable broadcasting all the personal day-to-day details that round out this whole experience. Yes, there have sometimes been delays here and there. But our doctors and nurses have other patients to tend to, so we understand that they can't always get back to us immediately. (In my line of work, some clients need to be reminded that I work on other projects and that the world doesn't revolve around them; the ones who do understand this always get brownie points in my book.) Our lives haven't stopped, and neither should anyone else's.

Good things have happened over the past couple of weeks too, which has made us less panicky:
  • Jim's actually gotten better after the first couple rounds of chemo (as the doctors and nurse practitioners originally anticipated.)
  • Many of his body functions have returned to normal.
  • We actually went out to dinner in the neighborhood this week for the first time since his diagnosis.
  • We're taking walks in the neighborhood and building up Jim's strength again.
Now that he's feeling better, we're getting ready to gather some information and pursue a second opinion. We're grateful to have friends who are medical professionals or who have lived through cancer themselves tell us that we can set the pace ourselves. We can move forward in a way that doesn't have to stress us out, whenever we feel more stable and ready. What once felt like a death sentence is now feeling like maybe-this-is-how-it's-going-to-be-for-a-while.

So it's time to get back to normal...or at least the "new normal" that we're settling into these days.

5 comments:

  1. glad you are doing better -- yay for meals out in local diners!
    Happy you are feeling empowered to find your own rhythms in this dance.
    hugs

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  2. So glad you guys got to go out for dinner and for walks. --Debra

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    1. Thanks Debra, we hope to see you and Gil and the kids again soon!

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  3. I'll be in contact will my, not sure of correct job title, practice nurse specialist should do at St Marks Hospital Harrow to discuss my check up in September (can't wait, it's such fun isn't it) So if you have any questions that you want me to ask when I'm there for a view from across the pond feel free to email me. Glad to hear the clouds are letting light through but do take care I hear there's a quake in the air.........xxxxxx

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