Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Half way through Chemo, Monkeys, and Fog!

I finished the 6th month of Chemo last week. Nothing out of the ordinary, I think I have the pattern figured out. The next follow up MRI is at the end of the month, I am really not expecting any dramatic news. The oncologist flips between measuring progress with MRI's and 'symptom based treatment' depending on what questions I ask. My symptoms are pretty stable, so I am expecting a stable MRI.

I have been having a hard time dealing with daily life. The exhaustion and constant headaches are starting to wear on me. I can can handle being tired and having a headache for a couple days, a week, a couple weeks, a couple months....but only having a few good days over 6 months sucks monkey balls. I know there are monkey ball advocate groups out there who are going to chastise me, but my patience is wearing thin. Holly and the kids, I am sorry when this boil over. I try my best to keep my cool.

A fog has settled over my previously clear mind and I have lost some confidence. Throughout my career I have held some management responsibility, usually without any authority. I learned early on that authority is demeaned if you work hard at understanding everything that is going on, what needs to be done, and know who you are working with. If you have understanding, vision, and friends, you do not need authority. The fog settling over my mind is hampering two of these ingredients. This is unsettling. I have little relief on my responsibilities as a husband and a father. I hope I can hold out until this Chemo fog passes and I can get back to kickin' but. 

2 comments:

  1. Hang in there Ed. You are an inspiration to me.
    Katy

    ReplyDelete
  2. When you get the MRI it may be time to weigh "what is happening now" against " what will 6 more months of this do" and is it worth it. Not an easy choice but one for you to make, you have already traveled the rough path. The chemo fog is a bitch! You would think by now docs would come up with something better than poisoning an entire person with those chemo drugs. Ah, the miracles of modern medicine and the flipping cancer mill!

    ReplyDelete

To make a comment without an account, set the 'Comment as:' to 'Anonymous', Type your message then click 'Post Comment' Be sure to leave your name in the comment so one can tell who wrote it.