I guess I have been bragging a bit too much about not having any ill affects from the treatment I have received. That might be a case of "Big Mouth" overloading "Small Brain". It has finally hit me! Nothing painful, but I have just been drained of almost every ounce of energy I ever had. I am dead tired almost all the time and have to push myself to do anything. I have lot my appetite - show me any kind of food - T-Bone Steak, Hamburgers (one of my favorite foods of the past), French Fries, Shrimp - anything and everything. None of it appeals to me in any way. The upside is that I am eating fruits and vegetables now because they don't appeal to me any less than anything else does.
I will overcome this but it is going to take a lot of effort. They don't want me to lose any weight. When I got up on the table for radiation today the girl noticed my pants were overlapped because the belt was so tight just to hold them up. She said; "What you need to do is go out and party tonight and have a few beers." That doesn't appeal to me either - so I will just keep stuffing things in my mouth whether I like it or not - I guess. It is my hope that this spirit can continue after I get all through with this cancer thing so I can maintain a good weight and not put back on all the pounds I have gained in the past.
I have had four days of radiation and chemotherapy and after one more day - I get a weekend break. I am looking forward to that. It is a very strange routine for me. Go in every day for the treatment and then not a whole lot to do after that. Actually, there is a whole bunch to do in Houston, but like the food, I am just not interested in doing anything.
I have needed a haircut but held off because I thought I would lose all my hair anyway. I was told that this will not happen with the treatment I am getting. By accident I found a barber shop in the basement of the hospital and they give free haircuts to patients. So I did get my ears lowered a bit and gave the girl a $5.00 tip and still ended up with a bargain.
LIGHTENING CAN STRIKE IN THE SAME PLACE TWICE:
We have a very nice two bedroom apartment in a very nice complex. It is a large complex with around 250 individual apartments ranging from one to four bedrooms. They have beautiful courtyards with a couple of very nice swimming pools and fountains all over the place. Night before last we had a somewhat violent storm with lightening flashing outside our third floor windows very close to us. We got a note from the management that last week lightening actually struck the complex twice. It affected many of the electrical components of the building including security gates, computers, electricity in some of the apartments, etc. Maybe that is the reason I am so tired. It must have "shorted" me out or something. Houston is a nice city but it is in a nasty weather belt this time of year.
Well - I need to rest up now so I can have some energy for the weekend. I need to get away from this apartment - as nice as it is, and stay away from the hospital for awhile. I would sure like to be back home working 12 to14 hours a day. I am looking forward to that day.
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2 comments:
Hi Al, Have a good weekend exploring Houston, but don't get too lost. Keep your chin up. You're in my thoughts and prayers.
Dora Mae
Al, I can agree with you about Houston weather. The first time I went there, I was working in NY for Union Carbide and I was about 24-25 years old. Had only flown about a dozen times in my life, and never had anything less than a magic carpet ride. A big thunderstorm came out of the Gulf and caught us about 10 minutes after takeoff (they'd never take off today with weather like that so close, I think---at least, I hope). I was on Braniff in a 707 and it batted us around like we were a Piper Cub. People barfing into bags, others screaming, and I was scared to death. Went on for about 25-30 minutes to some extent or another. I had trouble getting on a plane after that for about 5 years! And I never went back to Houston when it was reasonable weather-always hot and muggy.
Glad to hear you're getting a medical vacation for a couple of days. Re your diet: go for the heavy calory items like pecan pie and banana splits (fruit and calories, too!)
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