Feeling Normal

I am happy to report that I am feeling much better than I did when I wrote the previous blog entry. The nausea went away and I’m feeling stronger. I was even able to go out by myself for awhile yesterday.

This is my week off from chemo, so I am looking forward to living a relatively normal life. I’ll still sleep more than I normally do. I’ll still have to rest periodically throughout the day. But I’m not likely to need any naps, unless I attempt something really strenuous. And I should be able to eat more or less normally.

I have not been back to work since my surgery. Part of me really wants to return to work, because being at work makes me feel more normal (there’s that word again). During my last round of chemo, I was able to work part-time. For every three week cycle, I was able to work for about a week and a half, for about four or five hours per day. At that time, being at work reminded me that I am an adult, a contributing member of society.

This time, however, my chemo cycle is set up differently: I get treatment two weeks out of three. So far, week one of the cycle knocks me back a good week; week two, nearly as long. So I’m looking at, maybe, a week of work out of every three. And the effects of chemo tend to be cumulative, so that window may very well shrink by cycles five and six. I miss my friends at work, and I miss feeling useful (and yes, I miss my paycheck). But returning to work during chemo may not be a realistic option.