Two weeks out

Man, I can hardly believe only two weeks ago I was just getting out of the hospital. It feels like a lifetime ago, and I think that's a good thing. I'm forgetting alot of what it was like to be in there already. I like that, because when I think about it, I realize just how much it sucked. Not only the treatment, which was brutal, but being confined to such a small area and feeling so poorly all the time.

Everyday now I feel a little stronger, and I do a little bit more. I saw my doctor last week and he said my blood counts were back to normal, so now my recovery is mostly focused on getting over the chemo and their side effects. I can go out in public, travel, and do pretty much whatever I want, although I still have to be cognizant of how tired I am and should avoid sick people as much as possible. Even though my counts are normal, my new immune system is still relatively immature, so testing by getting sick now is something I want to avoid.

I'm still exhausted and get tired out extremely easily. I also still have no hair, although it feels like my scalp has sprouted a little peach fuzz. My nausea has pretty much passed, although from time to time I get little bouts of it, but they usually go away with a dose of Zofran.

Food still doesn't taste very good. Everything tastes very little like is should, although I have found that spicier or stronger flavored foods, like Mexican food or zesty Italian dishes, do taste quite a bit better. Bland foods or basic foods don't taste like much of anything. They say this will last several months, but my tastes will get back to normal eventually.

Hope is a wonderful distraction for me. She goes on about her life as if nothing happened. She's more interested in crawling over to the couch or coffee table and pulling herself up to standing. Then she likes to laugh about it. And jump. She loves to jump. Once she's standing up, she like bouncing up and down. She's just about worn her bouncy seat out because she jumps so much. Needless to say, chasing my little darling around for much more than an hour exhausts me, although it is ALOT of fun.

Honore is doing very well. She's getting used to the idea of me being home again and starting to do more around the house to help out. Although the hairless thing still kinda creeps her out. Its nice to be home again and getting to spend time with Honore and Hope.

Mom and Dad returned to Tucson last weekend. They were wonderful to have here, but I know they were pretty damn excited to be home again. Being here for three months was difficult, although I know there's nowhere else they wanted to be. I'm glad I'm doing well enough for them to return home, it kinda signals life slowly getting back to normal. And I like that.

I see the doctor again next week, although I expect it will be much of the same. You're doing great, keep up the good work. I like those kind of doctor's appointments.

What a long, strange trip this has been. I've been watching the leaves begin to turn and can't get over that summer's over. I feel like I didn't even get a summer. However, I'm glad things went so well and that we are coming to the end of this road. I look forward to getting my life back.

TTFN, T