Good things and lessons to learn

So here's the short of it

Today was good once I got started.

And here's the long

It was rainy all afternoon and Sophie didn't get any outside exercise  time because I didn't want to walk in this cold drizzle, so she is very active.  I'll see if I can get this blog entry done without having to put her out of the room!  She wants my attention now.  

This was a good day once I got myself out of the bed and going.  My pillow just calls to me to stay for one more alarm delay, and I fall right back into sleep.  There is no getting around this - I'm less and less a morning person.  I'm still attributing part of it to the fatigue factor from the radiation.  Dr. Gefter said it would probably take 6 to 8 weeks to rebound. Once I can ever get myself into the shower it goes OK.  I know I could go to bed earlier, but when I've tried that I can't really get to sleep.  I also really enjoy spending a little time visiting with Liga when she gets in from work at 9 or 10 depending on her shift.  If I went to sleep early, we wouldn't see each other at all most days.

One of my dear cancer sisters came and took me to lunch today to celebrate the end of radiation.  We went to the Mt. Vernon Restaurant; I hadn't been there in a really long time even though it's right in the neighborhood of my office. It was lovely to have some time to just compare notes, laugh about veins blowing out, doctors offices, and radiation hot spots. And speaking of radiation - I think I'm recovering very nicely.  I'm still very red on the boost area, and very tender, but I'm not blistered at all now, and I'm pretty comfortable most of the time.  I am now experiencing periodic sharp pains in the surgical area of my breast.  I have an appointment coming up in a week or so with my surgeon and I'll ask about that.

This evening Valdis came by for me to give him a haircut.  It's nice to see him and have a chance to catch up.  He wanted his hair cut short.  I think mine may almost be longer than his was by the time we were done!  He kept having me go to a shorter blade guard!  I remember when he was a little fellow, he could hardly wait for the weather to get warm so he could get me to buzz his hair!

Tomorrow I have to run by the doctor's office to get blood drawn for a lipid panel.  Thank goodness for those who have gone this way ahead of me and can give me advice and a heads up.  I already have high cholesterol, and apparently the Arimidex can push that number up.  So they'll get a baseline tomorrow.  Then we can work with my primary care doc to see what needs to happen next.  I'll have to have a big note in the kitchen to remind me not to eat anything!

Tonight my feet are feeling hotter than they have since I started taking the Elavil!  This is one of those lessons in patience.  The neuropathy apparently takes a long time to heal, so I get many days to work on this lesson!