Taking a Bye on Blogging

I haven't blogged in a few days. This is a good thing. Mostly because I've been busy living my life. I'm stronger, with more mobility, and very little pain. I'm reading with the kids at school. Helping with homework. Visiting with friends. Running errands. Even went to the gym yesterday and rode the bike 10 miles. Go me! Getting back to life is a welcome distraction and is absolutely my way of coping.

When I had Hodgkin's Lymphoma back in the early 80s, I stayed in school, continued my extra-curricular activities (including racing on the ski team), and attended UCSD while receiving chemo. Lots of people were amazed. I was just doing what I needed to do. Sitting around is not something I've ever been good at, regardless of how I feel. There is far too much to do. Life is rich, and I don't want to miss a moment.

And so it will be again. This morning we see the oncologist. I'm nervous. Both because he may say something I'm not expecting. "You're Stage II, not Stage I." "We need to go in and take the axillary nodes." "You'll need very aggressive treatment." "Recurrence is likely." "We can start today."

And because he may say something I am expecting. "You're going to feel sick." "You're going to lose your hair." "You're going to be weak." "You're going to need to stay away from crowds." Yeah. Been there, done that.

Of course the latter is far more likely, based on what we know so far. But there are many unknowns still. Hormone receptivity, for example. What's that all about? Stay tuned. Additional diagnostics for staging ... scans and the like. Fun stuff.

I'm going armed with a long list of questions and my calendar through the end of the year. There are certain milestone dates during which I want to feel good. My father-in-law's 80th birthday celebration in Florida in December. The Girl Scout bridging ceremony. My daughter's 11th birthday weekend. Thanksgiving. Christmas. I'll have to prioritize and take what I can get, I suppose.

So if I don't blog for a few days it just means I'm busy being present in my life. Laughing with my kids. Relaxing with my husband. Talking to my mom. Visiting with friends. Knitting. Reading. Cooking. Being. Breathing.

At the end of the day, these are the things that make up the precious moments of this precious and fleeting thing called life.