Skip to main content

How I'm doing: Merry Christmas to you and yours

Merry Christmas, everyone. I got to spend Christmas Eve with my cousins, mom, aunts, and uncle, and extended family. Today I can see folks again too, but I'm feeling symptoms more, so I'm going to exerciseIt was such random timing. Loved the kisses. But maybe I could have slept through it?!—run for the first time since the lumpectomy!—and just have a quiet day. 

How I'm feeling: It's been a bit melancholy, but not because of the cancer situation directly. I miss my dad, who passed away 11 years ago Christmas Eve. Going through this experience, I understand better how much he protected me from stresses of managing his own cancer for 8 years. I've been missing my life in the Bay Area something hard, but this week's weather in Chicago is very Bay Area winter, so I guess I get a nod there.

Latest symptoms: One reason I need a quiet day because a lot of conversation drains me and leaves me foggy-headed. I think it's a part of "chemo brain." I also just hit these points where it takes me a moment to catch up or remember something. 

I've been having a lot more regular muscle aches and shooting pain. Monty woke me up in the middle of the night to give me kisses and cuddle, and it was right at the moment I started having some sort of shooting pain attack. It was such random timing. Loved the kisses. But maybe I could have slept through it?!

I think I'm starting to shed hair too. It's not in clumps, but this morning, it was different. :( 

About those animal proteins: I'm trying to get as many of my nutrients from real food. And I know I have to up my protein intake because I became anemic and my white cell count is starting to dip (as expected). So I added chicken and fish back into 2 meals a day. That's when I started having shooting pain regularly and feeling aches to a point where it makes me not what to go out (which is when you need to exercise! And it helps. But I digress.).

I'm glad I have a dietician to help me solve this. That's my outreach this week.

I appreciate you and all your messages, and now your patience as I kinda drift back a bit and get quiet. Merry Christmas, and thank you for being in my world!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sara's playbook for dealing with cancer

My care team has commended my playbook for managing symptoms and dealing with cancer treatment.  I can't compare my cancer experience to others', because everyone's cancer is different. But, I can say that I'm coming out of this feeling like a better version of myself, and I didn't experience the intensity of symptoms that most people experience.  I'm a firm believer in doing what I can to manage what's thrown at me and take control where I can.  Here's my playbook for dealing with cancer in case it's helpful.  Note: If you think it might help to share with someone who has a recent diagnosis, I recommend first asking them if they're open to a perspective on managing life during treatment, sharing only if they say yes.  I treated food as fuel. I learned which ingredients reduce inflammation and which ingredients help the body recover, and I chose foods with them instead of comfort foods as often as possible. These ingredients can be found across c...
1 comment
Read more

How I'm feeling: Warmth from returning to work

I went back to work this week, and the best word I can describe it is dreamy. You read that right.  I had the best welcome back from teammates and others. The best. I truly felt joy seeing them, and I received so much warmth and even love back, it really makes me count my blessings. The only triggers I had were problematic, institutional terms in our work that we haven't solved yet!  I also reviewed final content from a big project I had been working on before I left, getting to see how the team finished the foundation we started and how they applied the content guidelines I drove. I couldn't tell the difference between what I wrote and what they wrote, which is amazing! This is what you want to happen! It was also dreamy because my directive from my new manager and partner lead recognized my leadership and strategy skillset, versus a more tactical starting point of, "Can you write this line of copy?" Like I said, dreamy .  There was a weird part I got through. I re...
1 comment
Read more

How I'm doing: Positive reflections as I head back to work

My Florida trip brought paddle boarding, crystal clear waters, tequila, sunshine, and laughs with friends. My final few days before work are a wonderful balance of downtime, long walks with Monty, rest, and fitness. I was also asked to be one of the speakers at the hospital cancer center's Survivors' Day of Celebration this year. Yes, there's so much to celebrate!  And, it's fitting to share my reply to an e-poll question that I answered in a group of former colleagues. The question was, " If you could relive one year of your life, which would it be? "  Here's what I wrote:  " My first thought was age 26. I just remember it as coming into my own and having so much fun. Then I saw [so-and-so's]  mention of studying abroad, and my 2001 experience changed my life in so many ways. But my final answer, if I were to pick one year, would be this past year, actually!  "A year ago at this time I finally, finally just felt so comfortable in my own skin...
Post a Comment
Read more