Since my last update, I did return home from the east coast following Hurricane Sandy. We lost power at my parents' house, and my original flight was canceled, but power came back about 36 hours later, and Dylan and I flew home a few days later, on Halloween. Friends in southern Manhattan weren't quite as lucky -- I don't think they got power back until the weekend. My brother Steve and his family in New Jersey were far worse off -- they didn't finally get power back until I believe a day or two ago.
I was feeling mildly under the weather the entire time I was out east, but it wasn't all that bad, and mostly I felt functional. Things sadly took a bit of a turn for the worse upon returning home. Perhaps besides just fighting a cold, I picked up another one on the flight home. It was bad enough that I decided not to return to work on the first of November, as I had originally planned. I used a regularly scheduled appointment with my radiation oncologist as an avenue for discussing my current situation. He thinks that I've just picked up some virus, and because my immune system is weakened, it will take a while to recover from it. And I can expect that I may get more of this throughout the winter, as my immune system will be weakened somewhat for about 6 months to a year following treatment. Oh boy, what fun.
It's frustrating. I don't feel nearly as bad as I did with the worst of the side effects from treatment, but at least with treatment, how I was feeling was somewhat expected and understood, and even though it got worse as the cycles went on, I could at least generally anticipate what was going to happen and when I was going to feel better. Here there's just this kind of wide open unknown.
I know, I'm probably complaining a little too much. After all, it's just a damn cold. (Lorien has given me some crap about my man cold.) But I really want it to be gone. It was so awesome to feel good and energetic for a few days once the radiation side effects were gone. I was so elated. I even had this anecdote that I was going to blog about comparing it something that happened my first time at Burning Man. (I'll save that for when I feel better again.) But it lasted less than a week, and I'm longing for that feeling again.
So I'm trying to decide what exactly my criteria ought to be for returning to work. I'm kind of anxious for life to return somewhat to normal. But I worry that if my criteria is to wait until I fully feel 100% better, that could be a very long time. Lorien thinks maybe I should wait until I don't feel I need ibuprofen any more, although as long as I'm popping pills in sufficient quantity right now, I'm feeling not too bad. (That, along with Afrin twice a day, plus lots of saline nasal spray, and lots and lots of tissues, is what's keeping me going.) I think I bottomed out in terms of how I feel a few days back (I think it was Wednesday), and now I do feel reasonably functional again. (Functional enough that I baked an apple pie yesterday.) My tentative decision had been to make tomorrow a decision point -- either I go back to work, or I make another doctor appointment. Although I'm considering the possibility of doing both.
I suppose the fire may not be the best idea given my congestion, but it is so warm and cozy on a cold night, and it had been about a year and a half since we had last had a fire. (On account of me being sick all last winter.)
I don't have too much to report other than griping about my cold. I haven't done all that much recreationally since returning, other than hanging out with Dylan, on account of how I'm feeling. It'll be sad to have less time with Dylan once I do return to work.
I mentioned that we flew back on Halloween, which meant that Dylan did indeed miss Halloween. We gave him his Nemo costume a few days later for the heck of it, and he absolutely loves it. It's becoming a cross between a costume, a stuffed animal, and a pillow (he's sleeping on it right now). He has worn it a few times out of the house (going down to the market, to a friend's birthday party, and to music class) -- hopefully that won't become too much of an obsession, and it can mostly stay as an indoor thing. But he sure is adorable when he wears it.
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| Nemo in his room |
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| Nemo on his way to the market |
That's about it. I'll keep y'all posted on whether or not I go back to work.
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