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Week Thirty-Five

(Header is Four hikers heading into Upper and Lower Rumble Creek Lake in Montana, on the edge of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, circa 1978)

Hi Everybody,

Another week gone by, kind of a short one between blogs, and not much has happened this week…although I spent four days at the Y working on my tiny muscles, trying to make them big and strong.  And Carol spent three days there, doing some zumba, yoga, AND muscle building.

My weight last week finished up at 124.1, and this morning it was 125.0.  That’s good.  I made a batch of blueberry muffins and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies yesterday, so I can be eating something all the time!  Also got in 9 holes of golf yesterday….3 pars, 3 bogies, 3 doubles.

Big event coming up next week…I have a PET scan on Friday, and it will show whether or not the cancer has come back.  I’m assuming if there’s no cancer that the doctor will take out the ‘chemo port’ I still have in my chest.  I surely don’t want to go through another round of chemo, and I don’t think they do radiation a second time, as the tissue gets too gushy, or something.  But, I am assuming that all will go well with the PET scan…positive thoughts!

The day after the PET scan we head to Grants Pass to visit Scott and Heidi, and then to Portland to see my brother, ten years my senior and currently dealing with colon cancer.  Then a return through Grants Pass and perhaps a play in Ashland.

Oh, for all you Pedro lovers, the Pedro league season is over. Our team came in tied for first (and that’s a first!).  We had a playoff, and we lost, but the good news is:  that means we didn’t have to pay for the end-of-the-season dinner.

Major news…..A day has gone by, it’s now Saturday, and this morning’s weight was 127.2!  Wow!

Well, that’s about it for this week.

Today’s poem (let’s call it a reading) is a Lenten effort about physical changes:

Number 8 (the 8th writing of this Lent)

Let’s take stock–how has this journey changed me physically?

  • I’m 20 pounds lighter–I feel my backbone when I sit in a wooden-backed chair.
  • I’m weaker–it’s tough to lift a golf bag.
  • I have less endurance–out of breath climbing stairs.
  • I seem more hairy, especially on my stomach!
  • I have no sphincter in my esophagus, so food can run out based on gravity.
  • Thus, it’s not good to lean over, to let my head go below my stomach.
  • I sleep on my back, on an incline.
  • I have a smaller stomach.
  • I now talk in my sleep.
  • When I awake at night I often see images within reach–when I grasp for them, they are not there.
  • I think my memory, and recall, have been affected by ‘chemo brain’.
  • I often get stomach aches from eating too much.
  • My voice has changed, my ears seem stuffed.
  • Talking takes more effort, and my words seem muffled.
  • Swallowing can be a problem–food gets stuck, water gets too close to my wind pipe, generates a lot of coughing.
  • I’ve lost my taste for alcohol and coffee!
  • My poops are piddlely.

But, I am alive and on the mend!

 

4 thoughts on “Week Thirty-Five

  1. Amen, Amen. Alive, and on the mend. Only you, Carol, and others who walk your path, can truly appreciate how much that means. Your willingness to share your journey does, however, offer those of us who love you a free preview in to the world of cancer survival. Thank you so much. It speaks volumes about your character, and gives me a lesson for living I wouldn’t otherwise have learned.

    Good luck with the PET scan.

    Your friend,
    Don

  2. Hi Chris,
    I can’t believe that I had not read or commented on any of your blogs since #21 on November 21st. So I just read the 14 Blogs that I missed.
    As you know I was in the hospital for 13 days for something that despite the length was nothing like what you have been through. Anyway since I was gone I see that you are still struggling with the weight and don’t have enough stomach to enable you to get all the food you need to put on that weight. What a dilemma. It is great you have been able to get back and play some golf. We will continue to keep you in our prayers. Connie and Ronnie

  3. Hi Chris,
    At tonight’s AA meeting, we read a chapter on acceptance, and the serenity that comes with it. Sitting here, it occurred to me that of all the strengths you have demonstrated this past year, it is your acceptance that stands out above the rest. You have been dealt a tough hand, but accepted it with exceptional dignity and grace; even sharing it with all of us. I know that will serve you well in the days ahead.

    Good luck on Friday.
    Your friend,
    Don

  4. Mr G’s –
    The 9 holes of bogie golf and weight gain to north of 127 stand out as very positive developments and illustrate that you are “on the mend”. Thanks for sharing the physical changes. That’s quite a list and helps all of us better understand and appreciate what you have gone through and what is still going on. Let’s hope these changes reverse themselves as recovery proceeds. We’re looking forward to seeing you and Carol soon. Good luck on PET scan tomorrow. We will be thinking positive thoughts.
    Mr and Mrs B’s

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