Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Getting Ready for Chemotherapy
Health update. The first appointment with the medical oncologist (cancer doctor) is Wednesday October 3. Chemotherapy will take place at Grand River Cancer Centre in Kitchener afterwards. The incision from surgery is now completely healed. I have been able to increase the length of my daily walks. The “Care Partners” nursing care visits at our home will soon be discontinued.
What are we doing? Both of us have been off work since the surgery. I am still on staff with Outreach Canada and am officially on medical leave of absence. Dianne has not been taking shifts at Christian Horizons during the last six weeks. Convalescence kept us at home for awhile, but we resumed attending worship at our home church on September 16. We are now able to respond again to our e-mail and phone calls. It’s been really great to have some visitors in the last couple of weeks. I actually hit some golf balls at the driving range this past weekend. A recent visit with our grand-daughter, Emilie, has been most therapeutic for us both!
Our outlook? The first few weeks of this experience were a time of shock, numbness, and coping. Dianne and I have now reached a stage of adjusting to “plan B” (a path we didn’t envision or expect). There are moments when we do wrestle with feelings of loss and anxiety. But there are two dominant ideas we are thinking in the typical day:
“Every moment matters.” – they are precious opportunities to be enjoyed, savored or utilized.
“It’s early!” (a favorite saying of our son, Paul) – it’s too soon to be certain of what will happen in the future.
Being realistic, but hopeful is the way in which we are approaching the coming months. Your amazing support as our family, friends, and supporters has made it easier to see the bright side of the road ahead. And speaking of that, I’m climbing back onto the treadmill today. It will be my first little “jog” since this whole adventure began!
