Well things started happening yesterday. I got a call from the PA at the clinic (Tanya Helms) who works with my Bone Marrow doc (Dr Gwynn Long). She had arranged for me to have my catheter placed at Duke in the Vascular Radiology department, but first she need me to "drop by the clinic" for another bone marrow biopsy. These guys don't do anything for you or to you without sticking a needle somewhere. The day before it was my arm. Yesterday, my buttbone. So far today, no needles. Now that I have this big, juicy catheter sticking out of my chest to make things easier, no one wants any blood. Go figure.
So when I talked to Tanya yesterday about getting the catheter and the bone marrow biopsy, I relayed to here that my sister had arrived from Atlanta to be tested. Becky also gave me a very nice short haircut to commemorate my upcoming baldness. Once the chemo kills those hair cells, the hair just falls out in clumps. It is a little disconcerting to see so much hair on the pillow, in the bathtub, and falling out in the brush. So I had Becky give me a really short trim-maybe an inch or so in length now. And dang, I had just grown it long enough to pull into a pony tail. But what I learned last time is that though we are all more vain than we think, it grows back pretty quickly.
1 comment:
Teresa,
The haircut looks great! But it's really the smiles on both your faces that makes that photo such a beautiful thing. Great blog--I love reading your insights and catching up on what is happening.
Thought you might want to check out a website that I have gotten a lot out of: www.innerlinks.com. These folks are based in Asheville, but their reach in world-wide, both literally and virtually. I especially like their "pick and angel" feature. You can visit the web to go through the exercize or sign up for their monthly e-mail for the angel of the month; this month it's "tenderness." Here's a description from their website: "The Angel cards offer an opportunity to deepen your wisdom, strengthen your self knowledge and connect with your Inner Light. Each card illustrates a keynote quality that can evoke your intuitive ability to discern your next step and assist you to experience life at a deeper, more vital level. They provide a receptive space for spiritual input into your life." I use it as a way to take a few moments to quiet my mind and be open to whatever might bring me a new outlook. It's amazing how often I blindly choose a quality that is most appropriate for my life at the moment. This short weekly or monthly exercise has been a real source of inspiration and renewal, especially over the past 2 years as I've become a caretaker for my parents.
Although I'm not running or SWOOPing today in the Race for the Cure, I'm thinking of you and Holly. Your runner's strength and love for life will carry you through this new route--some familiar territory, some new.
More later. Love, Julia
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