Monday, January 31, 2011

Stressed Out

For the last two weeks at work, I have been stressed out.  I had a problem that I had to fix. Multiple people had to be involved. The problem wasn't as easy to fix as I had hoped. 

While I was fixing this problem, my teammates were prevented some doing things that they needed to do, although they very kindly assured me that they didn't really want to do those things anyway. 

So for two weeks, I put in extra hours and worked as hard as I could. By Friday afternoon, I was completely done!  And then I had a wonderfully relaxing weekend with Lou.

But why tell you about it?  Because also for the last two weeks I have been experiencing a growing discomfort in my back, lungs, and chest area. By Friday, it was getting hard to ignore. I was pretty worried. I assumed that it was tumor growth in my lungs. (Some days, if I sneeze, I worry that it's cancer.)

On Saturday night, I finally talked about it. I agreed to call my doctor on Monday, if I wasn't any better. I also listened to a lot of different opinions, one of which was that it could just be stress.

The great news is, I think that it was stress, because my wonderfully relaxing weekend seems to have cured me. I didn't feel any discomfort at all on Sunday. I feel great this morning.

Makes me think I need to take better care of myself -- and talk about the things that are worrying me.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Dream Vacation Wakeup Call

Have you been watching the news?  Crowds of protestors in the streets of Cairo, being pushed back by the police... I'm not qualified to express any kind of opinion about the political situation there. I'm just one little person, worried about my dream vacation.

At the end of April, Lou and I are supposed to be in Egypt with The Travel Guys for a Deluxe Egyptian Adventure. If you've been reading this blog, you know how excited I've been.  It's the trip of a lifetime, to see the pyramids, the Valley of the Kings, the temple at Abu Simbel, all the evidence of an amazing civilization that started 3000 years before Christ was born.

But if it is not safe, then we can't go.

We actually have three months till the trip -- the whole situation might be completely different in three months.  But we have to plan for the worst, hope for the best, and expect nothing. That means I finally had to admit the possibility that I might not be seeing the pyramids in April.

Lou said, "Maybe we go next year instead." 

I didn't say anything, but you can imagine what I thought about that kind of delay. I am okay right now. I am fine to travel right now.  Nobody knows what next year will bring.  My friend Jean with leiomyosarcoma just ended up in a wheelchair.  Are the pyramids handicapped accessible?  What happens if my wheels get stuck in the sand on the Giza Plateau?

It is actually sort of funny.  Man plans, and God laughs.  For years I thought Egypt was not safe, then I became convinced that it was safe and booked this trip, and now it is really not safe!

Plus, we were originally planning a fabulous trip to Washington DC with my parents this spring, to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. Those plans got abruptly shelved when the Egypt thing became available. (I know, not my finest moment.)  But this new development changes things.

Maybe we will be seeing the Potomac instead of the Nile this spring. 
George Washington instead of Ramses The Great. 
Patsy and Omer instead of The Travel Guys.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

I Wouldn't Have the Guts to...

"I wouldn't have the guts to get a haircut like yours. I just couldn't chop off all my hair like that. It looks good on you though."

That is what the lady at the optician's office said to me when I picked up my new glasses this week.  She kept going on about how she was going for a haircut that night, but that she was sure all her wrinkles would show up more if she had that little hair.

Should I have explained that this was regrowth after chemo and not a haircut at all?  Or should I have just thanked her?  I didn't know what to do, so I just sat there smiling at her while she adjusted my new frames.

The good news is that I think this means that my hair no longer looks like a Medical Emergency. 

I guess now my hair just looks like a Bad Decision or a Serious Fashion Mistake. Or maybe it looks like my hairdresser decided to really give me my money's worth.

I'll ask Lou to take a picture so you can see my hair and my new glasses.  Check back tomorrow...