Looking Ahead Into Next Week

Here the weekend has just started and I'm already looking ahead into next week. Seems kind of backwards, I know. I just know from experience with my first surgery that the weekends are going to be boring. John wants to be home and enjoy the weekend when I'd rather be out doing something. *sigh* Oh well, can't win them all I guess. I will admit that I'm a bit overstimulated from the week. I remember this from my first recovery as well. There's a firm line between having too much activity going on in the house and not enough. Since I only had about half a day to myself all last week, I didn't get that total down-time that I really needed. You know, no TV, no one moving around, just me and my mind and nothing. Maybe it isn't possible to know what I'm talking about. It seems to be a brain thing. I hear comments about over-stimulation from background noise and the like from my brain support groups and how it tires you more than anything else you can do. I think that's what I'm hitting going into the afternoon today.

However, looking into next week. I will have an entire day to myself on Monday. YAY!!! Tuesday is going to be a busy day and I'm sure I'll crash in the afternoon. I am hoping to stop by work at around 8 AM Tuesday morning to visit a bit. I then have an appointment to have my staples removed at 9:30 AM. If I can get my chiropractor to see me, I hope to see him yet that morning to try to take care of my neck and back issues. I think I'm ready for him if he thinks he's ready to work on me. I will be calling you Monday, Dr. D!!! :) Hopefully this will take care of some of my sleeping issues and let me sleep a bit better at night. Then I will finally make the trek over to see my Grandma and rest up a bit before we head home. I know she's anxious to see me but we really haven't been to town when we can get over there.

Wednesday and Friday, I'll get to be home to myself again. I guess my little supervisor will be here Thursday since he doesn't have school for Veteran's Day. Should be a healthy mix of stimulation for the week.

I guess the final trick I have to figure out is when I'm going to manage to get in to have a tooth fixed where it's not going to kill me head wise before I start on my Temodar (chemo). I have a tooth that has been nagging me for months and has had to be put aside for weeks because of me being sick. I'd love to take care of it before I start my first round to Temodar but I guess we'll have to wait and see. I will be calling a local oncologist this week to try to arrange an appointment to discuss my protocol. I'm aiming to start it around the first of December (I think I should be entirely off the steroid by then) to put it between the holidays so that hopefully I'm feeling decent for the holidays. It's usually a fairly well tolerated chemo so I'm thinking I'll be good regardless of when I go on it but why take chances, right? It would be a 5 day oral chemo with 23 days off between for 6 months before we reevaluate it. Of course, I am waiting to get the official protocol from my Neuro-Oncologist at Mayo as well so that I have all the facts before me before I call them. I should be getting it this week.

Therefore, this will be a week of getting some of the paperwork side of things done and figuring out where I can swap budget money to pay for this last one. Temodar is not going to be cheap on my insurance and with my pending end of employment, I'm going to get double-nailed with my insurance. UGH.

Well, that's enough for now. Recovery seems to be going well and other than the darn coughing still, I'm maintaining my strength, resting as much as I can, and overall not feeling too bad all things considering. I'm down to just 40 MG of Prednisone (steroid) now so hopefully even the nagging cough will wean its way down soon.

Huggles to all,