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August 13,
2006 - Day 5 - Week 19 - Day of Rest
It says in the good book that
we are only supposed to work six days a week, and
then rest on the seventh. For the past few months,
almost but not quite the, opposite has been the
routine. If you were to compute the hours and
measure work versus rest, rest would win. Today was
no exception, and rest I did.
My only journey into the world
on Sunday was to the gym for a moderate 30 minute
walk on the treadmill. I had pulled something from
the internet that looked more interesting and
informative than it was upon close inspection, and
that is becoming increasingly commonplace. The
internet is democracy on line, yet the power of
discernment is needed at a high level when it comes
to sifting through the volumes of information on
cancer. Naively, I pulled up a 23 page article on
memory loss and chemo therapy. I am still not at
the point of losing my marbles, however, a few have
gone astray, and I have heard repeatedly how chemo
therapy can mess up the function of that part of the
brain.
At lunch with new friend Jim
Brewer, who has chronic lymphatic leukemia, a
friendship that began in the barca-lounger at the
Angeles Clinic, we admitted to each other that
memory loss was occurring. He will be seventy
shortly, but he is keenly aware of his functionality
because he is an actor who has to memorize lines.
He is a character who has played many character
roles through the years and he and I are exploring
together what we might do to keep our memory sharp.
Thus, I read my 23 pages with
both interest and discrimination; something
essential on internet sites. The author, after I
finished a repetitive and pedestrian long article,
for me that is, was the figure skater Scott
Hamilton. Well meaning, yet not very helpful I
turned to friend Janette whose husband is a
neurological doctor. They both reinforced the idea
that there is a plethora (I have always loved that
word) of material available, so Peter, please be
more specific. The one hour at the gym – one half
exercising the legs the other the mouth was the most
productive hour of the day. From then on I was
toast.
The best news of the day was
that Thelma and Louise arrived in Chicago at 10PM
and was still relatively intact after a 2200 mile
journey in a U Haul. I have to hand it to Katy at
her ripe old age of somewhere in the 5th
decade of her life managing such a trek. Truck
stops and truckers not withstanding, her
accompanying Laura made me jealous; but I am glad I
was forbidden to go.
I sort of finished the honey do
list but there is still honey do more, but those
duties will have to wait. The good news is that the
palpitations are being mitigated by the medication
and tomorrow is the big one – the PET and CT scans.
I will report.
Back to Week
19 |
