This past week has gone by very quickly. I know my body has been very tired as it has been a very busy and active last 6 weeks. The tiredness is also a symptom of the lymphoma. Tiredness refers to a bone deep exhausted feeling that never really goes away.
Last Friday was the Relay for Life event in the evening. The event ran from 6 p.m. to Midnight. I intended to take it easy that day but at 8 a.m. I received a phone call booking my abdominal CT scan for that morning at 10:45. So off I went to get that done. I must have been on a cancellation list. I was told not to eat before the appointment. Thank goodness I had been slow that day to get my breakfast and was able to fast until the appointment. Hubby rewarded me with lunch at our favourite Vietnamese restaurant. At the Relay for Life opening ceremonies, my Survivors' Speech was well received. I managed to walk the Survivors' Lap and then only one more regular lap with my Hubby. I wanted to stay at the Relay through to the end. After my one regular lap with Hubby, I was feeling weak, tired and shaky. We went to our team's campsite and I sat to rest. I hoped that the shakiness and weakness would pass. It didn't. We went home around 8:30 p.m. I was disappointed but I also know that I need to listen to my body. My Rituxan chemo maintenance treatment had been the day before and I could feel my body sinking into a dark pit of "flu-like" symptoms. So home we went.
I struggled with exhaustion up until Wednesday morning (June 27) when I awoke feeling refreshed. I cleaned some of the house as it hadn't been cleaned for a couple of weeks. Yesterday, I ran errands all day. It was too much. By the time I brought my groceries home and got them put away, I was really feeling ill....achy muscles, exhausted, sore abdomen and even a little nauseous. So I laid down and rested. Then I was up and going to finish the last bit of shopping.
The exhaustion stayed with me. I felt like going to bed at 6:30 p.m. but I forced myself to stay up until 9 p.m. I slept through the night last night but was wide awake by 4:30 this morning. I've had a restful morning but I'm still feeling a little tired. I intend to finish cleaning the house and pick up some pork side ribs for Hubby's birthday BBQ on Monday. If I don't get the ribs today, then I'll make a run tomorrow to pick them up. I really don't like fighting the crowds in the stores or on the roads while driving to the stores. Yesterday was already very busy and I expect today to be more so. I want to get it all done today because tomorrow will be an absolute zoo. But....I will listen to my body. If it continues to tell me that it's too tired, then I won't be going out until tomorrow.
This coming week will be another busy week. I have a chiropractor appointment on Tuesday, 4 appointments on Wednesday and a good friend coming to visit on Thursday. I will see my oncologist on Wednesday when I will get the results from the CT scan. My hope is that I will get at least 2 (hopefully 3?) weeks free of medical appointments and Hubby and I can go away on the motorcycle for a holiday. We have not been able to think ahead more than 2 or 3 weeks to make plans. There is always the possibility that I go to my oncologist appointment and he tells me that it's now time for the biopsy. Hubby and I feel this hangs over our head all the time. The next step after a biopsy would be making a decision about treatments. In a perfect world, we would like to be able to escape the medical world for a few weeks. So we'll see what next week brings.
In the meantime, Hubby's birthday is a time to celebrate life with a few good friends. I know that I have the support of my hubby and my son. I know that if I need them to help with cleaning, I just need to ask. I also know that our friends are also willing to help out. I continue to evolve as a person and ask for help when I need it. I've delegated some aspects of the meal to my friends. If my body continues to say (maybe yell) that it's too tired, I will be delegating chores to my son or hubby.
I'm still learning to listen to my body.
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