Fort Worth Flu & Canada Chemo Update:
The Fort Worth Flu-Man (or as he has been calling himself, after 4 days without a shower, “President of the Clean Hair Club”) is slowly on the mend. He actually managed to stay out of bed for most of the day and while his stomach is still a bit “off”, he is managing actual meals. Well, if a steady diet of soup can be considered meals…
I am so glad that he is feeling better. In all our years of marriage, I don’t think I have ever seen him so ill, and the last time he missed more than a day of work was way back in the early ’90’s, when he hurt his back. This is a man who just never gets sick, so this has been a rather unnerving experience. I can’t help but feel that this is his body’s way of forcing him to take a break. He has been training for a very long time, what with all the triathlons, marathons, half-marathons, century rides, etc. (not to mention the 70.3 Ironman of last autumn) in which he has competed in the last 14 months. And I don’t think it is a coincidence that this illness comes right on the heels of the Cowtown Marathon, and at the end of a six-week stretch in which his life has been turned sideways by my absence.
But his illness has afforded a few light-hearted moments, at least for his wife. I tend to be the uninhibited partner in this relationship, and it is not at all unusual to find me wandering semi-clad around the house, and yes, I admit, around the yard as well (we do have an 8 foot privacy fence, after all….) But Doug is usually a little more modest than that. So it was with much amusement on Saturday afternoon that I looked up from pulling weeds in the garden to find my sick-as-a-dog husband standing in the middle of the yard, talking on the telephone – clad only in his underwear. In the midst of an animated conversation with the other star of this particular post – my mother – he seemed oblivious to the fact that, while it is seasonably warm, nonetheless it is still only early March, and definitely not underwear weather…. Just another little strange moment in my current life.
As for the the other star of this post, well, she is coping as well as can be expected with the current round of chemo. She, of course, is not well – but to date, she has not experienced the violent sickness of the first round. Each round brings with it a few more lessons and a little more experience with handling the side effects, and though excelling at chemo really isn’t a goal most people want to attain, knowing what to expect if you have to endure it is really is helpful.
I am so happy that my aunt, Carm, is staying with her through this round. My original plan had been to be there for every round of chemo, but when those plans fell through this time, Aunt Carm stepped up to the plate and made it so much easier for me to leave without worrying. And it is doubly appreciated considering that Doug is sick – the worry on two fronts would have been unbearable.
When I left, Mom had lost a lot of her hair and was considering cutting off the rest. She suggested that I cut it for her, but I was leery, afraid I might hurt her. Aunt Carm, however, was comfortable with the task, and Mom reports that she now has no hair at all. Which is a good thing – it makes wigs and scarves more comfortable. Apparently, it is also a lot more comfortable to be bald than it is to be balding – I hadn’t realized, as I’m sure most people don’t, that losing your hair during chemo makes your scalp very tender.
So, that pretty much sums it up. One man getting ready to wash his hair. One woman now past losing hers. And both of them working on getting better.
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