Today I went to my first cancer class, Coping with Cancer through the Cancer Clinic at the General; 2 hours and my parking ticket was $13 bucks! Thank god I consumed 9 timbits during the course, almost got my moneys worth. Three other people showed up to watch a power point presentation, “so you’ve got cancer” followed with a meditation video; original, innovative – thanks, do you validate parking?
I don’t know if I am going to like going to generalized cancer groups because it seems to me that other cancers are yucky! One lady had thyroid cancer and was looking bald, pasty and toothless. (well she may have been toothless before, but jeez cancers done nothing for her!) The other woman had throat cancer, was bi-polar and was itching for a smoke break. I learned something about myself sitting next to her; I’m not real receptive to people who a) gave themselves cancer and b) are continuing to give them selves cancer while sucking up services we all paid into. She was nice enough for the first half of the course, but then I think the voices in her head told her to quiet down for the rest of it.
During the meditation video when I was meditating, I made a shopping list for Friday and convinced myself that I really needed a massage. I drove back to the west-end was able to get a walk-in relaxation massage with hot stones at “The Spa”; nice! I started a yoga class yesterday that did help my sciatic nerve, but messed up my shoulder. The girl was rubbing my neck with oil and went a little over my hair line and stepped back with a “oh” and I had to explain to her that her furry fingers were a result of my hair falling out from chemo, and it was best to avoid my lid with sticky fingers. I’m on hair preserve.
The cat and I attempted a nap this afternoon, but the phone wouldn’t quit. The irritation on his little furry face is priceless, especially when he rounds on me like it’s my fault! So I had a 15min cat nap and then was off to learn how to give myself a needle. The nurse said I needed to pick a fat spot to poke, I offered up the booty but she said my belly was just fine – ouch! (note to self, lay off the baby cookies… I just said that with a mouth full of baby cookie!)
The needle was for Neupogen; (sounds like the name of some Asian dude) it’s a drug that will help me grow white blood cells faster. Apparently people with other types of cancer receiving chemo usually have their treatments about 3 weeks apart which gives their bone marrow enough time to grow enough white blood cells back before they knock them out with chemo again. When you have Hodgkin’s its common to have difficulty growing enough white cells back in time for the next round because they are 2 weeks apart. So 1 week after each chemo session I will have to inject myself daily for 5 days with Neupogen to get those cells a’multiplyin… like little white rabbits.
I teared up a little after I gave myself the shot in the nurse’s office (well after I got the balls to do it after three psyches.) Not because it hurt at all, it was because it was another little “real” moment. This is real, it’s really happening; people who are healthy don’t inject needles into their belly.
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