One week+ after Chemo #9

Well….. hel-lo!

Seems there hasn’t been a whole lot to say during a week when I gradually felt better and better. Lovely how a chemo-less week does that and I have more of those to look forward to.

So let me update or remind you of upcoming dates…… and then make an announcement!

These weeks are the run-up to surgery. Next Wednesday on April 18 we report to Fletcher Allen Hospital in Burlington, VT to get an ‘after chemo’ CT Scan of my abdomen. Following that we meet with my surgeon, Elise Everett. I currently have a date with her for surgery on Wednesday, April 25 but the CT Scan certainly will reveal the extent of surgery to be expected.

I have been preparing a lot for this surgery and would like to share what I mean by that. My neighbor, Caroline, loaned me a book and accompanying CDs that she had found very helpful with her cancer surgery. I would highly recommend this book to anyone having surgery of any kind. The title is Prepare for Surgery, Heal Faster – a Guide of Mind-Body Techniques, by Peggy Huddleston. The book suggests things to discuss with your surgeon – things I would not have thought of. Things like knowing that in a teaching hospital you can ask that your surgeon, and not a resident, actually does your surgery. Suggestions like reading and signing the required ‘Consent Form’ ahead of time so as not to have those scary thoughts brought up just before you go under the knife. Advice as to which supplements/foods you should discontinue prior to surgery, things which might encourage bleeding – like garlic! Suggestions that Vitamin A and Bromelain are beneficial.  The bulk of the book and tapes, though, is devoted to teaching you relaxation techniques to quiet your mind, relax your muscles and plant suggestions of a successful surgical outcome and body comfort. There are even suggestions in the relaxation tapes that encourage your blood vessels to draw your blood away from the incision so as to lose less blood and when you wake from the anesthesia, suggesting that you think of your favorite food – thus stimulating your digestive system to get cranking again. It took about a week of me listening to various of these relaxation tapes to find one that really worked for me. My pick is Martin  L. Rossman’s Preparing for Surgery CD. I’ve been listening to the Intro, Benefits of Guided Imagery and Exercise: Preparing for Surgery once or twice a day during the last three weeks. They are becoming part of my psyche.  He also has two other ‘Exercises’. One to listen to on the day of surgery and another called Recovering from Surgery.

So – this may be way more that you wanted to know – but since I’ve been devoting so much of my time to this, I wanted to add it to the record.

Meanwhile, I’ve been continuing to work at my job of 27 years at Coldwell Banker Bill Beck Real Estate whenever I felt up to it – which actually wasn’t all that much during my chemo weeks. As a result, Craig and I decided that I should retire at the end of next week. This gives my beloved company freedom to seek a full time replacement for me AND it gives Craig, Ballew and me freedom to party & travel whenever I feel up to it in the coming summer months. A sweet prospect, actually.  So that’s my really big news: after April 20th I’ll be a card-carrying AARP Retiree!

That’s the news for now! My latest bloodwork shows my immune system is bouncing back – so on we go.