Round 3 & School Begins

This is the way I spend much of my recovery days after chemo.  Sitting in my recliner with the cat sleeping at my feet.  Round 3 of chemo is done and my next PET/CT scan to see if this is working will be September 6 with results on 9/12 when I see the doctor.  I am grateful that the side effects of this chemo are manageable and I can function "normally" as possible on most days.  Also, being able to attend my support group at Cancer Carepoint on two Thursday's a month is critical to my mental health.  The meditation classes I took there this summer have been very beneficial and I'm hoping to continue making it a regular practice every morning to start my day.   If you know anyone dealing with cancer in the Santa Clara County area, I highly recommend their services.  Everything is free and the provide a wealth of support for all stages of cancer and for caregivers too.

School has started and I've worked 4 of the 7 days we've been in session.  It's weird to not work full time but the days of rest are critical and even in the short time we've been back I can tell the difference.  Actually, I "worked from home" both Thursday and Friday this week spending a few hours each day doing computer work that I can't get done at school.  Graded the first 10 classes of Freshman Library Orientations that I taught Monday-Wednesday.  Also, worked on my Mission College Online course that I'm teaching again this semester that starts today.  So I may be off campus but somehow I still work a little bit.  The difference is that I can take breaks as I need to and wear comfy clothes and no makeup and hydrate fully to flush those chemicals. 

Rest, Relaxtion and Back-To-School

Mom and I had a lovely time sitting and overlooking the Rogue River in Oregon near Gold Beach.  It was definitely a much needed respite.  There's nothing quite like listening to the herons call to one another, the water of the river drift by and the wind rustling in the trees to help soothe one's soul.  Two afternoons, we sat in our chairs with books we barely touched and just enjoyed the peace washing over us. 

The second round of chemo was fairly easy.  A little more gastro-intestinal issues and the energy level is definitely lower.   My hair has thinned but only to my own eyes is it really noticeable.  We shall see what my hairdresser says tomorrow.  Overall, I continue to be grateful that it's manageable and I can go on with my daily life fairly easily.

Back to work starts this Friday August 10th with our leadership team meeting.  Monday begins the staff meetings and three days of prep work for the new school year.  Students arrive on Thursday August 16.  As for my schedule with the doctor's recommendation, I met with my principal before leaving for my trip to Oregon.  I will work four days/week for first semester taking every Thursday off with the exception of the first day of school (chemo is at 4 p.m. that day).  My chemo infusions will remain on two consecutive Thursday's and my metastatic/Stage 4 group meets on the 2nd & 4th Thursdays of the month .  The Friday's after my IV chemo, I will also be off work so two weeks/month I will only work three days.  I do need the recovery day after the infusions as the pre-med steroid and the two IV drugs need some major fluids to flush them out.  Also, I'm usually bright red from the steroids and look like I've been over indulging in alcohol.  A retired teacher librarian has agreed to sub for me on those Thursday/Fridays so students will still have some expertise to assist them when I'm gone.

Something that a lot of people ask is "how do you do it?"  and one response is I just put "one foot in front of the other" like the song from Santa Claus is Coming to Town.  One of the verses says..."If you want to change your direction, if your time of life is at hand, well don't be the rule be the exception, a good way to start is to stand".  Read all the lyrics here, they really have an amazing message.  And you can always sing along with the video: