Medical Things (of course), This and That

I've been pretty happy with my progress since my surgery a week ago, until yesterday. *sigh* I realized that I've still got a VERY long road ahead of me, and as much as I want to get back into the swimming pool, that may be pushed out farther than next week. I'm really hoping not, but I am a realistic person, and I have to be honest with myself. 

It's a very long road ahead, as much as I would love to 
think that the surgery was the end of the issues, it's really 
only one step on a very long staircase. I'm already dizzy 
from the height and the view, and I have many hundreds 
of steps still to climb. 

I felt that I was doing really well - healing well, managing my life as a cancer survivor really well. Until Laura called - she's my doctor/patient navigator. She reminded me that I still have appointments coming up that will deal with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and several other appointments, and it hit me that I'm nowhere close to being finished with this process. *sigh* I was rather hoping I could just stamp "The End" under next week's surgical exam and conference, and that's probably nowhere close to my reality. 

Do you remember this old screen splash? For those of 
you much younger than I am, this was the final panel 
of various Warner Brother cartoons - cartoons I still 
remember with great love. 

I want to get back to the swimming pool ASAP. I feel like an absolute slug! Today I was going to get onto the treadmill for the first time since before surgery, and I just couldn't get motivated. I will try again later today. Since this is a "day off" and I don't have a full kitchen day (although I do have a lot of cooking I have to get done), I might be able to make the treadmill in the afternoon sometime. I'd feel a lot better for getting SOME type of physical exercise. I feel like a slug at the moment, and that's an uncomfortable feeling for an active person. 

I'm feeling like a slug today. It's not like I'll be doing 
nothing - my first load of laundry is already in the 
washer, I have groceries to buy and prescriptions to pick 
up (for DH this time), and I have things on my agenda 
to cook. But, I'm not peppy! I'm a bit down, I suspect, 
because I've just realized how very long this road is 
that I've stepped onto. 

Then again, it's only been a week since my surgery. I'm not expected to be a "Jack in the Box" wind-up toy. I am expected to take some time to heal (although I've been back at work for several days already). I just want to start feeling like a normal human being once again, not one that's forever stamped across the forehead with "CANCER SURVIVOR" for anyone to see. I want to blend into the woodwork once again, only standing out on my own terms, not dictated by my health responsibilities. *sigh* 

I'm feeling rather like a Jack-in-the-Box toy. 
Just push me back down again, turn the 
crank, and see if I pop up when the music 
reaches a specific point. *sigh* I only wish 
I heard the music with more clarity. 

Today I'll be grocery shopping, cooking and baking. I have a busy day planned, and of course it's damned cold out, so I'll be bundled up like a yeti, blundering my way into this store and that, until I can return home, put my groceries away, and start some serious cooking. Tomorrow Chickie and Chickie Mama head to the Mayo Clinic. It sounds so easy, but Mayo is HUGE - multiple hospitals and buildings, each encompassing a different aspect of health. Chickie has a rare genetic condition that's starting to affect her mobility, so after various references and phone calls, she's being seen by a specialist at Mayo. There won't be a treatment, but there might be a plan of action. At this point, she's looking for anything that might relieve her constant pain and increase her mobility. I think we're all going to be very tired of physicians, clinics and hospitals by the end of Winter. Have an excellent Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow. Happy Birthday to Abraham Lincoln too - one of the good ones - LOL.