Freedom from pain and a visit
Originally published at magependragon.co.za .
Saturday - 5 January 2013
Wrist is still seriously sore but mom is busy with Stacey who's having issues with her eldest. He doesn't really know what he wants to do with his life, wants to take a year off, maybe work, maybe not. He barely passed 1st year last year and it was only a BA. He fancies himself to be a writer or a journo but he doesn't write anything, not a blog or even letters to the local paper. How can you be writer if you don't write?
We suggest she take him for an aptitude test to see what he can and should be doing. My brother's was spot on.
Mine was completely contrary or perhaps I "bucked the system" and decided to do the things I apparently was not mean to do. The one at 15 (std 7) said I should take humanities subjects like history and geography, and study in that route. I went the science and numbers route with computers as my goal. My marks were high enough (All A's) to go either route allowing me to choose what I wanted to do. Don't ever let anyone tell you that the Maths/Science (Physics+Chemistry)/Computers Science/Accounting set is a non-studying set. They've never seen the files of notes for physics, chemistry and computer science. I have done really well in this route and can't really imagine my life any different. Well, that's excluding being a paid writer/author but I'm working to that dream/goal too.
Late afternoon mom finally took me to the clinic. Saw Dr Smit as my usual GP wasn't there. He's a friend of Dr Maurel and also a friendly chap. He felt my wrist and said it was inflamed, most like the rheumatoid arthritis again. It is little amusing to see the reaction of a non-onco to the phrase "I'm on cancer treament meds". Their eyes go wide and the flounder for a bit. Heheh.
He wrote me up a script for Tramacet and CataflamD, both to reduce the inflamation. We collect those scripts and my other meds that are due and can be collected. I should rattle from the amount of pills I take. Then home to put feet up and head down to wait for the pills to kick in.
@Johenius is in town and I had to bump our evening "date" out by a couple of hours because of how poorly I was feeling. It is great to have cancer-buddies who know and understand how things go.
CataflamD is the BOMB!!! Can I get a 'Hallelujah' for this? I haven't been this pain free since before the 1st op, definitely since before I started treatment. No pain in my hands or my feet. This stuff is a godsend, even if it does space me out a bit. Spacing out is a small price to pay for being able to walk with out it feeling like hot coals.
@Johenius came to fetch me with his sister as driver. He arrived a little early (I was just getting out the shower) and I left him playing with TamTams while I dressed and got ready to go out. Shirt and smart jeans - I was feeling awesome!
We headed to Canal Walk for the evening. Dinner at Dros - steak egg and chips for me as I'm suddenly hungry. We talk about life, the side-effects of treatment meds, how the people around us react to the diagnosis and how each day is an isolated event to be appreciated on its own. It is so good to again be able to talk with someone who's been there and understands how things can change in a heart beat. We laughed as he told the story of when he was in ICU (Leukemia) and didn't want to eat and the nurses would force him to have just one mouthful of the food which would lead to him practically licking the plate clean.
After dinner we walk a bit. Yeah, WALK!!! I'm so pain free and feeling great. No one truely understands what a feeling it is to be able to walk freely after so long being in pain!
We have dessert at Mugg&Bean before I start to fade and he drops me off at home again. I pushed it a bit this evening. I always do when I'm have a feel good moment. I should learn not to but when I feel that good, I just want to revel in it and the "normality" it returns to my existence.
Thank you @Johenius for the great evening out and I will definitely visit you in G-Town when next I'm visiting family in East London.