Tag Archives | Health
Thank you (really)
The joy of having a mailing list with a few hundred recipients is that when I send out news, I get responses. Sometimes, a few hundred of them. That happened most recently when I sent out my “good news to share” missive explaining that I am cancer-free after my surgery.
The only problem is that responding individually takes time and I ran out of time before we left to take Ben to college last week. So while I’ve now resumed replying to emails (in the order received!), I’m only about halfway through the list at this point.
If you’re one of those whose kindness I’ve not net acknowledged in kind, please accept my apologies for not doing so yet, and know that I will do so soon! And also please know that I appreciate, beyond calculation every word of support and love I’ve received.
Reflecting
It’s been fascinating and heart-warming to engage with so many people in the middle of the year. I’m used to it at holiday time, this sharing of news and good cheer, but not in July-August. I’m actually having trouble keeping up with all the emails.
It’s been fascinating to HAVE to sit back and accept the flood of warm wishes and offers of meals and rides and logistical support. Usually I shy away from this kind of attention and feel undeserving and embarrassed. Those who know me well know I much prefer being backstage to being onstage. But Tom insisted that I let our friends BE our friends, and it’s been wonderful. Everyone seems genuinely happy to be of use, and just having dinners brought to us this past week has been more of a godsend than any of the donors will ever really know.
Having flower arrangements fill the house has not only added life and loveliness to the surroundings… but they are visual representations, not only of their senders, but of all the people who care and want good things for me. Every time I see a bouquet, I’m reminded of the fact that there are people to whom I matter. It’s incredibly gratifying.
I want to hold onto these feelings of mutual love and goodwill for as long as possible.
Good News
Dr. Friedman’s office called and asked to move up my post-op to this afternoon. So Tom raced home from work and accompanied me to what turned out to be a very good meeting.
The good doctor very happily reported that the cancer was entirely contained within my now-departed uterus. Everything else they sampled turned up negative. So for now I am considered cured, with no further treatment needed (i.e. no chemo or radiation).
There is perhaps a 2% chance of recurrence, he says, so I’ll need to be monitored for the rest of my life. Four times a year for a few years, then twice a year for a few years, then annually after 5 years. He did note that in case of recurrence the treatment protocols are pretty straightforward.
In the meantime, he admonished me that just because I’m pronounced cured doesn’t mean I get to ignore the fact that I had major surgery last week. I’m allowed to fly back East on Friday as we take Ben off to college (yay!), but with precautions: aspirin before the flight, hourly walks up and down the aisle, etc. No carrying anything heavier than my purse for another few weeks, and certainly not on this trip.
We are elated and relieved (and also, frankly, drained). My recovery from surgery is coming along as it should, and I’m feeling better every day.
We are so thankful for the constant stream of calls, cards, flowers, emails, meals, prayers, tweets, messages and good vibrations sent from literally every corner of the planet. They helped, and continue to do so, immensely.
Last but not least, words can hardly express our gratitude for the diligent, timely and caring ministrations of my doctors: Our GP Lee Kagan, my gynecologist Tina Koopersmith, and my oncologist/surgeon Richard Friedman. They’re all simply amazing.
Watch Out, Usain Bolt
I walked two laps around Fashion Square today. Oh, all right, with a wee rest in between. But still.
