News From the Homefront
My days are going so fast now that I forgot to write yesterday. I guess I thoroughly appreciated my day off of chemo! Trying to keep up with the house and three teens has been a challenge while trying to sneak in some never-been-more-important self care each day. I have not had cancer on my mind too much, other than that I know it puts me at a higher risk with the coronavirus. I have been coughing and have had asthma again lately, so it makes me nervous about cancer symptoms getting worse. But, in reality, the coughing is probably from all the dust from thoroughly cleaning my house from top to bottom lately, and the asthma is probably from some anxiety about the possibility of getting the coronavirus when I am in the higher risk group. I am being extra careful and staying home, like we’re supposed to/should do, and I am washing my hands constantly. And I am keeping my kids home. It took a while for them to stop complaining about wanting to go out with friends, but they know how important it is that I don’t get the virus now and how important it is not to put other people at risk. So, I have not been thinking much of cancer this past week. I have to admit, I am much more concerned about catching the cornoavirus than I am about having cancer right now. And, I am much more afraid of dying from the coronavirus than I am of dying from cancer. I have had time to prepare for dying from cancer. But I do feel good that I am caught up in life right now and am enjoying each day (mostly!!😜Momma is going to go crazy!☕️🍷) and am enjoying the slower pace and family time lately.
My hair is thick on the top of my head now. I have been walking outside every day, and I think it is funny when I can feel it blowing off my head. It is getting long for military-short hair! It will be interesting to see if it will stay??
I am thinking about my bucket list and decided to get an online tutor to learn Italian. I have always wanted to learn it. Now, I am working on an ancestry project for my grandma’s 90th Birthday, and I want to be able to read some documents in Italian, so it pushed me to actually start lessons. Tom is going to take them with me, and we start them next Wed. morning! After learning some basic vocabulary on an app, I am wanting to go to Italy now with Tom next year. 🇭🇺
The months are moving so fast, and we’re all waiting for this coronavirus to pass and life to get back to normal, and I am just thinking of time slipping away. It will be interesting to see if life does go back to normal. I think the lessons we have learned from the coronavirus and from having metastatic breast cancer are some of the same — slow down, enjoy life, one day at a time, value family. And, trust me, once you have gone through something like this, you have learned and grown, and you will never be the same again. I hope everyone can take the positive from this devastating situation and remain focused on the positive of being alive and at home while we are social distancing.
Oh, and an update on my side effects — again, one day of nausea and feeling weak and tired and achy after Chemo (over the weekend) — and absolutely no other side effects throughout the rest of the week!! And … my eyebrows (well, half of them on each side) have grown back, too!
Stay healthy, everyone, and I will update from the chemo cafe on Thursday!