The day at Froedtert began in the blood lab waiting room. For whatever reason, there was an extra-long wait today. That came in handy because it gave me a chance to do an extended session of 4-7-8 breathing. In for 4 … hold for 7 … out for 8. Repeat. I have been wavering between calm and anxious since Wednesday, so I just focused on breathing for a while. Then I watched the political ads on TV in the waiting…
A number of weeks ago, Aidan (14) and I were together eating at the table in the breakfast nook. The conversation turned to lung cancer because that happens around here these days. And I was describing to Aidan advanced lung cancer and how, because there are no nerves inside the lungs to feel pain, it often goes undetected until it’s late stage. I said to him, “Aidan, can you imagine how helpful it would have been if I’d had bronchitis…
No, this isn’t an announcement of my status as a cancer survivor, though that will be nice when the time comes. It’s a reference to the very popular TV series that debuted twenty years ago. You know how the show works. Contestants are dropped off in a remote, isolated location where they need to find a way to eat, build shelter, create fire, and locate water to survive while trying to avoid elimination. Well, after a few seasons of seeing…
It’s been a while since my last post and you deserve an update. Round 5 of chemo went in and went through its three-week cycle without incident. But along the way I made an observation. Treatment right now is pulling me simultaneously to two opposite ends of a continuum. At one end of the continuum I am surely more healthy than I have been in a long time. At the other end I am just plain tired. That’s why I’m…