So, since we last chatted, I made it through my 5 days of maintenance chemo. Round one of the two times I'll probably need to do this while I at home. No major side effects other than needing some "ACTIVIA!" (insert the way they say it in the commercial here). It causes a little nausea, but I can manage.
Chemo makes me tired, which made me a little lax this weekend, not near as fun for my girl Megan who's up visiting. It's mostly sleeping, sleeping, sleeping, movies, driving around to take pictures for about an hour, sitting, sitting, more sleeping. Oh, and lots of Booger Babysitting, I'm getting a little tired of watching my nephew (Brett's new chocolate lab puppy!!). Poor girl, she drives upstate for the northern MI experience and gets plenty of conversations about bowel movements!!! Good thing we're besties and she loves me enough to put up with this shit, literally. We're doing "work" at Goody's Java and Juice downtown Manistee today, I picked up my dry cleaning, and found out that my dry cleaner, whom I love so dearly that I save my clothes in NY and wait it out until I'm coming home next before I get them cleaned, also has cancer. Prostate. He's doing awesome though, very very well, hasn't needed any treatment yet, just watching very closely, a couple biopsies. So now we cheerlead for each other, and we'll have a little more to catch up on when I bring him my precious clothing items, probably in the fall. By far the best cleaner in Manistee, and I can say, better than any cleaner in Albany NY, as I've tried 4 and they are nothing like him. =)
Megan and I are getting some great beach shots, planning on a sunset set soon, and I introduced her to "Old Faceful." It is a natural spring that bubbles up that you can drink out of near Pierport Beach. The trick is, when you bring someone there for the first time, you drink first to show them, and then when they drink, you push their head down so they get a "Face Full!" I did it to Jason last year, but not Megan, I explained it after she drank, how she isn't quite initiated yet. =) It is a mile from my house I grew up in. It's the closest public access beach to that area, next being Portage Point. What I can say is, is that the beach itself has not been kept up very well, I hope that changes, I know there is a lot of private beach surrounding it, but it is such a quiet little spot, I hope more people get to enjoy it.
Well, the reason I'm talking more about little beaches, my dry cleaner friend, and puppies, is because the only thing mildly interesting going on with my cancer right now is NOT something many people are comfortable hearing about. Megan has found out how medically oriented my house is, because I've got Dad and Sherry, both health professionals, and my Mom, who is well, my Mom. Then there's Brett, who had been giving me his "brand of treatment" in the form of something close to tear gas since February.
I've got a family that is comfortable with all the nitty gritty, and the not so pretty parts of me being sick. One of my best friends is more than comfortable being there for me during that part too, or listening to me vent about my frustrations with my body that is tired and moving in slow motion while I'd prefer to be my normal, regular, and energetic self, especially while home in gorgeous MI. So, support through struggle continues, another friend in the fight against cancer, and a chance to revisit all the familiar places that pictures or not, are still images etched into my memory as well as my heart. Less things to worry about.
Chemo makes me tired, which made me a little lax this weekend, not near as fun for my girl Megan who's up visiting. It's mostly sleeping, sleeping, sleeping, movies, driving around to take pictures for about an hour, sitting, sitting, more sleeping. Oh, and lots of Booger Babysitting, I'm getting a little tired of watching my nephew (Brett's new chocolate lab puppy!!). Poor girl, she drives upstate for the northern MI experience and gets plenty of conversations about bowel movements!!! Good thing we're besties and she loves me enough to put up with this shit, literally. We're doing "work" at Goody's Java and Juice downtown Manistee today, I picked up my dry cleaning, and found out that my dry cleaner, whom I love so dearly that I save my clothes in NY and wait it out until I'm coming home next before I get them cleaned, also has cancer. Prostate. He's doing awesome though, very very well, hasn't needed any treatment yet, just watching very closely, a couple biopsies. So now we cheerlead for each other, and we'll have a little more to catch up on when I bring him my precious clothing items, probably in the fall. By far the best cleaner in Manistee, and I can say, better than any cleaner in Albany NY, as I've tried 4 and they are nothing like him. =)
Megan and I are getting some great beach shots, planning on a sunset set soon, and I introduced her to "Old Faceful." It is a natural spring that bubbles up that you can drink out of near Pierport Beach. The trick is, when you bring someone there for the first time, you drink first to show them, and then when they drink, you push their head down so they get a "Face Full!" I did it to Jason last year, but not Megan, I explained it after she drank, how she isn't quite initiated yet. =) It is a mile from my house I grew up in. It's the closest public access beach to that area, next being Portage Point. What I can say is, is that the beach itself has not been kept up very well, I hope that changes, I know there is a lot of private beach surrounding it, but it is such a quiet little spot, I hope more people get to enjoy it.
Well, the reason I'm talking more about little beaches, my dry cleaner friend, and puppies, is because the only thing mildly interesting going on with my cancer right now is NOT something many people are comfortable hearing about. Megan has found out how medically oriented my house is, because I've got Dad and Sherry, both health professionals, and my Mom, who is well, my Mom. Then there's Brett, who had been giving me his "brand of treatment" in the form of something close to tear gas since February.
I've got a family that is comfortable with all the nitty gritty, and the not so pretty parts of me being sick. One of my best friends is more than comfortable being there for me during that part too, or listening to me vent about my frustrations with my body that is tired and moving in slow motion while I'd prefer to be my normal, regular, and energetic self, especially while home in gorgeous MI. So, support through struggle continues, another friend in the fight against cancer, and a chance to revisit all the familiar places that pictures or not, are still images etched into my memory as well as my heart. Less things to worry about.
Old Faceful
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