I Ran

For the first time in 6 months, I ran. It wasn't fast, it wasn't pretty, and it was interspersed with lots of walking, but today I ran.

For the last few weeks I've been doing lots of walking to slowly get my body more active again. This week though a switch seems to have gotten flipped and my body was itching for more. Today was a beautiful day so I decided to give running a go. I didn't push, I just tried to get my legs used to the feel of running again. My body did have to strain, but in that good exercising way - something I haven't felt in a long time. I could be sore tomorrow, but it will be the best damn feeling ever.

Now in case you are confused by the title of this post and are looking for A Flock of Seagulls here you go:

My Cancer Adventures: They Call Me Mr. Waffle Face

As of today I’m 9 treatments into my 20 of radiation therapy. Time just seems to be flying (so much so that I haven’t kept up with posting). I have a bunch of random thoughts/remarks so out come the bullet points:

• As I mentioned previously, a common radiation side effect is fatigue. So far it’s really just been the fatigue of waking up early in the morning and then driving a half hour to my appointment (most of my daily treatments are in the morning at 7:30 so I wake up at 5:30). In terms of real fatigue, I have none so far. In fact because my body is now basically recovered from chemo, I’m bounding with energy.

• While the getting to and from my radiation is a wearing daily annoyance, the experience while I’m at the clinic couldn’t be better. The radiation staff is super friendly (just like everyone has been) and the treatment barely takes 15 minutes. I just lay motionless on a table for that time so it can be quite relaxing. I guess it’s forced meditation/relaxation time. I mean my head, neck, and shoulders are strapped down by my mask (rather tightly) so yeah, it really is forced. Oh, and I’m laying on a hard carbon fiber table. And the arms of a big machine are rotating around me. And I’m getting hit with radiation. Ok fine, it sounds extra weird but I find it relaxing.

• Yes, my mask is rather tight. It's supposed to be of course, but it took some getting used to the idea of not being able to open my mouth to mumble or breath. I can just barely swallow if spit builds up in the back of my throat. I can breath out of my nose just fine, but I make a point in the morning to blow my nose, have a menthol cough drop, and drink lots of tea to ensure my airways are clear. Additionally the mask leaves a nice imprint on my face - mostly on my chin and forehead - for a while afterwards. The nickname for this by my clinic’s techs is “waffle face.” I've taken it a step further by giving myself the alter ego of “Mr. Waffle Face.” So basically for about 15 minutes after treatment I'm like a lesser known Dick Tracy villain.

• At one of my appointments last week, I had the extra fun of also getting my port flushed. When a port isn’t in use (I haven’t had chemo for just over a month now), it needs to be flushed to it doesn’t clog up and get infected. The flushing literally took two minutes but wow, I really didn’t miss having my port accessed. I didn't miss the now revolting smell of sanitizing solution (I associate the smell with chemo and nausea) and I really didn't miss the jab of a needle in the sensitive port site.

• During all this radiation running around, I've also started a new job. (Let's just throw everything into upheaval!) Basically right at the time I was diagnosed with cancer, I started working two part-time jobs (20 hours a week each). In one of those jobs I'm staying with the organization, but starting a new position. It could be worse, but scheduling new job training on top of the radiation schedule (and the other job still) is just another extra thing. Considering I often worked 6-day weeks while on chemo, I think I can manage this however.

That's what I have for now. I don't expect too much “news” in the short term. It's just the relatively easy (compared to chemo) daily grind of radiation therapy.