Surgery date booked!

The call from the surgeon’s office finally came and I am scheduled for December 11^th.   I have been warned that the surgeon only received two dates for the surgical room.  He has more patients than time slots available, so if an emergency comes in, I will be bumped.  It’s understandable and I am not upset.  After all, I know that I bumped somebody out of their date in May of last year when I became an emergency patient.  If that should that happen, I would be rescheduled for the first week of January.  In the meantime, I have a pre-admission appointment on December 5^th.  This 3 hour appointment will be fun filled with EKG’s, bloodwork and lab tests, a meeting with the anesthesiologist, the dietician, etc. 

 

I met with my Oncologist on the 12^th.  I haven’t been feeling terrific as of late and they are attributing some of that to my white blood cells and neutrophils being quite low.  One theory is that my body may have gotten used to the assistance of the Neupogen shots and now my body is having a hard time producing on its own.  On the other hand, because I haven’t had to take the shots, my kidney and liver functions have improved.  My body is still fighting to recover from chemo treatments and I have to remember that this won’t happen overnight… nor will it happen in a few months.  My tumour marker continues to hold steady at 0.5, which is spectacular.  That comforts me as I do have fleeting thoughts now and again as to whether or not the cancer is behaving or is it wreaking havoc.  With the low WBC count though, I have to be extra cautious about getting a cold or flu virus.  My body is barely drumming up enough energy to last me the day, let alone battle an additional cause.  I have an appointment with my Naturopath next week to prepare me for surgery … I need to be strong.  Physically, mentally and spiritually.  I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little anxious.

 

The last few months seem to be filled with more life changing events than usual for those I love … passing of loved ones, illnesses, surgeries, treatments, frustrations, rejections, and the list goes on.  But there have also been births, birthdays, celebrations, laughter, warmth, support, growth and above all, love.  We live in a two sided world – we cannot have the good without the bad.  And as crazy as it sounds (cause people, it sounds crazy to me at times) there is something good in everything.  It just doesn’t always show up right away.  It’s a work in progress and we have to dredge through the mud to get to the oasis.  It’s not always fair, but then we were never given a guarantee that life would be fair or life would be perfect.  It is what we make of it and we reap what we sow.  So as the holidays officially approach and we fight through mall traffic and sit in traffic jams, I ask that you sow a little kindness, a little love, a little charity, a little compassion.  You have no idea what that “idiot” or “wench” on the other end has gone through to make them behave the way they do.  One act of kindness can spread.  Let’s pay it forward my tribe! 

 

Love, Angela