June 28, 2006 - Day 1 - Week 13 - Round Four

In the beginning, a boxer trains to go two or three rounds with his sparring partner.  That pre-selected adversary is chosen for his skill, seasoning, and durability.  It is tough to get whacked around by a young upstart pugilist who is trying to make his and now her, mark in the odd arena called the ring.  Boxing is a good metaphor for those battling cancer.

I have gone three rounds, only discovering myself against the ropes on occasion, but look really no worse for the wear at this time.  The un-intended consequences of chemo therapy in my case may be the swelling of the legs from the knees to the ankles, but no one at this point wants to claim responsibility for this anomaly.  Elevation is the trick, and beginning each new day I am ready to go the distance, one day at a time.

Keen to know the side effects of my chemical treatments I am one inquisitive patient, but there is always the unknown because each body is unique.  We all are created equal, but completely different.  The day life starts we begin to absorb nutrients at our own pace. In addition, all of us ingest impurities from the environment uniquely.  This leads to a body that contains ingredients known only to me, therefore, any kind of regimen or protocol will always have a bit of variability.  Therefore, I am not confident that I or anyone else can predict how I will fair during rounds 4-8.

I am less anxious about round four  than the previous three because of my reflecting upon my experience. I had a wise teacher, one of many through my life,  who emphasized that we do not learn from experience, but by  reflecting upon experience.  I have pondered, surmised, calculated and reflected upon the first three rounds.  The over-arching learning is that I am indeed fortunate to have not hit the canvas hard like some of my new acquaintances, and even old friends who have wrestled with cancer.   If there is such a thing as benign chemo therapy I am in that category as of today – no prediction about tomorrow, but thankful that my first 90 plus days of treatment have not been debilitating – it must be the seaweed.

I will sit in my lounger chair for 5 hours today. My feet will be elevated, extra water will be by my side, and my friend Mike Pickett will keep me company for half the time.  We will play the ancient game of cribbage invented in the 1900’s by Englishman Sir John Suckling.  Mike always beats me, yet that simply reflects the pastoral side of my nature emerging.  He would feel really bad if I won all the time.

Actually, we may be asked to leave the clinic or assigned a private room due to the rowdy nature of cribbage; upon reflection that usually results from the fact that a Corona or Miller or two is by our side rather than the water.  I will report as to the outcome.

Round One of Cribbage and Round Four of Chemo; I like the sound of that.

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