Feeling Better Every Day

Well I have been home for 2 weeks now, and I am feeling better every day. I just got back from my evening walk. Today, again, I took a longer walk than yesterday. On Monday I will start a physical rehab program at the YMCA in Ann Arbor. They are one of ten Y's in the country that have received a grant from the Lance Armstrong Foundation to pilot a program for cancer survivors. It will be twice a week for 12 weeks, and they will tailor a workout program to my needs. I am looking forward to getting that started.


I do feel stronger each day, as I am able to do more and sleep less. The fatigue is certainly improving, but there are just some days where I hit a wall and cannot keep my eyes open. It is not everyday anymore, but it still hits me at times.


I have been making biweekly trips to Ann Arbor to have my blood drawn. They are still trying to get some numbers where they should be, but nothing major, just part of the healing process. I was there this morning, and spoke with a women whom was just beginning treatment. The way the oncologists office is set up can be a little bit confusing when you are just beginning treatment. There is a registration desk for the clinic (where you receive the chemo), there is a registration desk for when you see the doctor, and there is a registration desk for the lab where you have your blood drawn. So there are three places to check in, depending on what you are there for, and even if you have already checked in at one place you still need to check-in at another if you have multiple needs that day. On top of that, when you are there for a blood draw, you are given a slip of paper at the registration desk which you must then turn in at another desk in the lab. It sounds very confusing, and when you are just starting out it is confusing. After you are into treatment, however, it all becomes very routine.


I am explaining all of this because it was a very interesting trip today. I have never seen it so busy in the lab. It was standing room only as there were 10 people waiting to get their blood drawn. Three of the ten were there for the first time. It is very easy to tell who is there for the first time. They are the ones, whom after finding out where to go to register, sit down in the lab without turning the slip in from the registration desk. That is what I did the first time, and I have seen it done many times since. So after I explained to the woman next to me that she needed to turn in her slip, we got to talking. I could just see on her face how anxious and overwhelmed she was. It reminded me of how I felt when I was first diagnosed, and I am sure I looked the same way. It was good to talk to her, and reassure her about what she was going through. Normally everyone goes through that lab like a robot. I have had my blood drawn anywhere from once to three times a week for the past six months. It has become routine, and I hardly even notice the needle poke anymore. Then you see three people sitting there with their forms in their lap, and you know it is their first time and they need direction. You also remember exactly how it feels.


Last Monday was the sixth month anniversary of the day I was told that I had several masses in my chest and abdomen. It has been a reflective couple of weeks. Talking with the woman today made me think even more about those early days, and how much I have been through. It has been a long haul. I am not out of the woods yet, but I do feel like I am getting close. I could not have made it this far without the army of support that I have received, and I hope that my conversation in the lab today gave her strength as well. It is a wonderful thing to know that people are behind you, that they understand, and that they care. I have been blessed to experience all of those feelings the past six months, and I look forward to helping others with cancer feel this way too.