(not necessarily in that order)
Gosh, it feels great to once again be walking at my normal pace.
I was being very careful the first week after the AFib incident, as I didn’t want to trigger another episode. But this second week I’ve been gradually adding distance and the pace has been picking up quite naturally, without me even thinking about it.
And today finally felt absolutely normal. Yay!
When I lived in Italy and then Switzerland for four years, I could tell it was time for a visit stateside when I started craving Mexican food.
It was virtually impossible to get good Mexican food in Lugano. Likewise Chinese food; there were a few restaurants but they were ridiculously expensive and not nearly as good as what I was used to from twenty-plus years of living in San Francisco.
Well, I’m realizing a similar thing is happening due to this long stay in Sacramento: I woke up this morning to the realization that I haven’t seen a deer in over six weeks, which is unheard of for someone who lives at Ananda Village.
Here in Sacramento we see lots of squirrels and there are even a few wild turkeys in the neighborhood, but nary a deer or coyote or bear in sight.
Who knew that I would miss them?
Today — for the first time in six weeks — we “performed” for Sunday service at Ananda Village!
It was via the magic of video as we’re still in Sacramento, but at least we had a reason to put on jewel tones and SING.
We can’t wait to get back to singing all the time once again.
Somehow I’m not really getting the sense of autumn that I’m accustomed to feeling.
We get quite a bit of fall foliage at the Village and not being there makes me feel like I’m missing the season.
Which isn’t really true, as we’ll be back before the end of October, but that’s where I’m at in this moment.
The image above is of a central venous catheter (also known as a central line).
This tube was placed in my chest to more easily allow the medical staff access for the stem cell collection, administering chemo, and returning the stem cells to my body. It was also used to give me fluids, platelets, blood, electrolytes, you name it!
Because it was inside me and near my heart (see image below), I had to be very, very careful to keep the dressing clean and dry in order to avoid any possibilty of infection. Which means that I haven’t been able to take a complete, totally carefree shower for six weeks (since August 25).
I shouldn’t complain, because I learned today that some patients have to have a catheter for up to a year! At any rate, I’m very happy to report that mine came out today — whoohoo!
This was a very productive day, with the accomplishment of several fun but fairly big projects.
Plus a trip to Trader Joe’s and an evening walk.
So not much oomph left to put into tonight’s blog post.
A photo of this sweet kitty will have to do.
Hard to believe, but it’s been a full six weeks since we left Ananda Village. It hardly seems possible that it’s been that long, while at the same time it feels like an eternity.
We’ve got at least one more week to go before we get the “all clear.” Then we’ll have a week for further recovery, cleaning, and packing, followed by some time on the coast — YES, that’s working out; thank you, God!
And before you know it, this whole experience will be behind us, though I expect to be integrating the lessons learned for a long time to come.
These three nutrients are very much on my mind these days.
Water to stay hydrated and avoid further episodes of AFib. Potassium for the same reason. And iron to help build my red blood cell count as quickly as possible.
I’m learning a lot and feeling good about making these healthy changes.
Once I get the final clearance from my doctors, we’re exploring the possibility of getting away to the coast for a few days.
Of course, we’ve already been “away” for over a month, but it certainly hasn’t been a vacation!
We’re both feeling the need for quiet time to process, to integrate, and to simply rest. Let’s see what’s trying to happen!
“Fell a long time ago, but never gave up.”
This photo and caption really speak to me today.
Sometimes you’ve just got to hang in there…