April 3, 2004

This past week has been extremely draining.  I attribute it to the general anesthesia.  What could I have been thinking?  I could have had an easier time of it if I had taken my surgeon's offer of a local.  All week I have struggled to keep up with my schedule.  I am beginning to buy into the concept that I may work too much (this tongue in cheek, of course).  At any rate, I feel much better today.

The pre-op nurse told me the pains I experiencing were phantom pains.  I had never thought of it that way - just nerves waking up, trying to send messages after they have been injured in some way.  In terms of pain management, there are successful modalities for phantom pain.

April 10, 2004

Two days ago I woke up feeling great - the effects of the anesthesia were over.  I saw my oncologist this past week and he asked me if I was feeling like I was at 85%.  I was so discouraged - did this mean I was going to have a slow return like had happened with my knee, a surgery that eventually but years after I could call a total success?  I felt about 60-70%.  He backpedalled a bit and said that I should expect to be back to myself one year after the chemo and it had only been about 6 months so....

Now I know, I felt badly because of the surgery and anesthesia.  I am most assuredly at 85% now.  Smiling.  Exercising regularly and more intensely.  My strength is pretty good, flexibility alot better, but endurance is the really weak link. 

April 17, 2004

At the beginning of the week I exercised enough to get really sore - the first time in about a year to be sore.  What a great thing.  I made an appointment to get a haircut next week, another milestone.  I am really excited.  I don't know that much can be done - but, I would like it to be really wild all over like the curly parts or flatter like the less curly.  Now it looks like I just crawled out of bed.  It's over an inch long.

I have pierced ears but have been unable to wear most earrings because of an allergy to something in the metal.  When I wear earrings with that metal in the posts (which most inexpensive earrings have) the piercing weeps and a red welt grows down my  neck from each ear.  There is, of course, accompanying pain and itching.  I have received earrings as gifts 3 times this past year and have been able to wear them without event.  I was very pleased that my system seemed to have changed in this way.  However, the last couple of weeks I have returned.  It must have been a depression in my immune system.  It didn't care about the earrings, had too much else to do, but now it does and I am again having trouble with earrings.  A friend has suggested that my lack of problem with earrings lately may have been because of the super foods my naturopath had me taking this past year (like liquid chlorophyll).  I haven't been taking the liquid chlorophyll as regularly lately.  Time to be very regular and see if it makes a difference - self-experimentation.

The sutures and site where my portacath was are red and inflamed.  Today is Saturday.  This has been itchy for days, but it is definitely not looking like it should today.  Hopefully some tea oil or antibiotic cream will do it, at least until I can call the doctor on Monday.  If it's not one thing, it's two.

Received an email from a friend who is in India.  He has heard of and visited a couple of healers, healers of cancer.  I think I might try to visit one of them when I go to India.

Top

Go to Next Page in Journal

Return to Cancer and Exercise Index