Sunday, February 22, 2009

First Week Successful

Here's a quick report to let you know that I completed my first week back to work. It was only a four day week and I was/am very tired. But couldn't have asked for better students and everything went well.

More later.

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Back to Work

On October 24, 2008, I said goodbye to my classes and co-workers and embarked on this journey--cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC),or as it is more fondly known mother-of-all-surgeries. A lot of the past few months is a blur. Fortunately, I have made good progress. On Tuesday, February 17, 2009, I will return to work full time. I think I'm ready, but I'm still nervous about it... will I have the stamina? I guess I won't know that until Tuesday. I am excited about seeing my students and co-workers again and will definitely do a posting to let every one know how it goes.

Also, some good news: I got my first tumor marker report since the surgery and the numbers are well with-in normal range. I'm still waiting to hear about the CT-scan. This is the nerve-racking part, as anyone who has been diagnosed with cancer can attest. I think the important thing is to keep a positive outlook and live every day to the fullest. I certainly am not perfect and find myself slipping sometimes, but when I remind myself that many folks have it a lot worse than I do, it is easy to "pick myself up" and get back on track.

I am certainly going to miss my best-bud when I go back to work next week. Mike and I have been together almost non-stop since surgery and I think we'll both have withdrawal symptoms!

I must go. I have to fix a few more "good" dinners. These will be in short supply when the work schedule kicks in.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Missed a Week

I can't believe I missed a week of posting. That puts me at fourteen weeks. While I can't say that I feel normal, I do feel stronger. Good thing, because I'll be going back to work full time on 2/17. Yep, it is fast approaching. I'm happy and scared at the same time. To strengthen myself for the "long" school days which require a lot of time on your feet, I have started exercising and walking on the treadmill. Well, here's how far I've gotten on the treadmill so far: 2 laps, which equals about 1/2 mile. And I was huffing and puffing. Yes, I do have a long way to go. Yoga is better. Except for positions that require you to be flat on your stomach I am doing pretty well. Three months of inactivity have caused a lot of stiffness and soreness, Hopefully, the exercise will serve two purposes: stamina and flexibility.

I had my baseline CT scan and tumor markers taken on 1/22. I haven't heard the report yet, though I have called Dr. Sardi's office several times. No news is good news, but as you can imagine, you can really feel anxious while waiting for these results.

I will continue to update this blog periodically as events unfold, but I think a weekly post isn't necessary at this time. I think going back to work will keep me pretty busy too. If you want to contact me, I have previously posted my e-mail, but I'll put it up again: dilyloprathotmaildotcom

I am disappointed that no one tried my Winter Minestrone! I was hoping to have a future in food blogs! Well, you don't know what you are missing!

One last thing today, Carrie will be participating in a triathlon this summer. She told me that she would like to try to raise funds for PMP. I'll let her give more details, but I thought I would mention it because it is for an important cause. Not a lot of research funds go to PMP because it is so rare.