And there will be chocolate....!

Tomorrow I return to the Chemo Infusion Lounge for the second dosing of my twelve treatment regimen.  Only 22 more weeks and chemotherapy will be finished.  I like to plan things out and write stuff down on my calendars (both electronic and tangible).  Somehow it makes it seem less ominous (“12 treatments over six months” echoing in a big black cave…) when I can put an end date to it.  In this case, my last date at the Infusion Lounge is February 12, 2014 and my last day to be disconnected from the 5-FU drug is February 14, 2014 (I’m not into numerology but the way those numbers fall seem pretty cool, don’t you think? – 2-14-14 or 02-14-2014…) The irony isn’t lost on me either; it will be the first Valentine’s Day that I’ve looked forward to in at least 11 years!   I’m already planning how I’ll decorate my living room with red and white streamers and I’m going to send myself red roses and balloons… And there will be chocolate! Every Year!  I’m taking back Valentine’s Day! Valentine’s Day will forever be redefined and will be a celebration of love (no longer a painful reminder about being single) in the truest “thank god I’m alive” form.   So boyfriend or no boyfriend, husband or no husband, Valentine’s Day, it will be mine. 

So continuing on, tomorrow’s my second ‘date’ with chemo. 
I’ve been feeling so good for the last 8 days that I’ve gone into what I’m calling chemo nesting mode very similar to what pregnant women do in the weeks/months before the baby is born.  I felt an urgency to get things done and to enjoy my physical and emotional sense of peace and happiness. I made some headway on a few projects, got several loads of laundry done, went grocery shopping (got easy to prepare food for the Rockstar and the Sage), attended (& cheered at ) the boys' soccer games,  danced Zumba, did some housekeeping etc…  I have even lined up and put on my calendar what specific helpful recovery treatments I’m going to participate in (lidocaine for my port area, ativan for anxiety, and acupuncture for example).  I feel way more organized going into this ‘date’ than the first one.  And I’m very interested in seeing how my preparations will impact my recovery time.  Naturally, I will report back here.

In addition to all of this positive nesting activity, I have been reading Getting Well Again by Dr. Carl Simonton.  It was recommended to me by a tango friend who found it incredibly helpful while she successfully fought her cancer.  My takeaways from this book so far are: 1) to participate in daily visualizations of my body actively fighting cancer cells and eliminating them and 2) to develop coping mechanisms to stresses (emotional, physical, financial – whatever they are) that strengthen my health & well-being so my body can remain vigilant in zapping those pesky cancer cells so they can't gain traction again.

And as if hearing from me isn’t enough, I’ve included this link to an article on happiness that is just “spot on!” or “brilliant!” as my English friends would say.  Enjoy!
How to Get Flat Abs, Have Amazing Sex and Rule the World in 8 Easy Steps