Sunday, April 5, 2009

Road to Recovery

4/5/09

I feel like I'm on the road to recovery! People have told me to take it easy for the next few weeks and that these next few weeks could be the hardest. But, I'm ready to be done with hard and get back to my old self! I got out and played soccer on Thursday- my first outdoor game of the season. I did not feel up to it at all. I was nauseous and tired and it was cold and rainy. But, I NEEDED to play. I don't know why- I just needed to be able to say that I played soccer the day after my last chemo. Probably foolish, but great for my spirit. I couldn't do much running, but I did get a few good touches on the ball.

Yesterday was beautiful- sunny and warm and the first real spring day of the season I believe. I spent the afternoon with friends creating my survivor mobile in a clay studio. I made a bunch of different little plaques with different words representing all the positives I've experienced over the last 5 months or so. This is to balance out all my rocks that I made last week. My plan is to put the plaques together into a mobile and hang them over my garden gate. It felt really good to be doing something creative and positive amongst friends. By the time I got home, I was exhausted and felt like I'd been running around all day. A friend had made a meal for the girls and I and I was so grateful not to have to cook. I ate lying down on the couch I was so tired! My arm, where the lymph nodes have been taken out, has been giving me some trouble. Yesterday it was so sore and had throbbing pain at the incision site. As I've started to get a bit more active I realize that every time I use it any extra, it starts to hurt. I'm doing lymph massage on it every day, but I'm also going to try to see a new PT who specializes in the lymph system. It seems like it shouldn't hurt so much.

Today was glorious! I got to sleep in some, then the girls and I planted the garden! It is full of many types of lettuce, peas, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, onions, and a few more things. I'm supposed to be keeping my fingernails very clean so they don't get infected. They are still loose and painful, and the finger tip numbness has come back. I tried keeping gloves on and using a little shovel to plant, but it just wasn't fun. There's nothing I like better than getting my hands down into the soil while planting. So I decided I didn't care if my nails come off or not- I took the gloves off and just had fun with the planting. My garden is beautiful and I hope the dear will stay away! I soaked my hands afterwards in lemon juice and hydrogen peroxide, and scrubbed underneath the nails. Hopefully it will help- I don't really want to lose them! I had a nice lunch with some friends and we went on a long walk up some very steep hills. Well, I take that back. I don't think it was really a very long walk. But, again I found myself getting exhausted way too early. By the time I got home my legs where aching, my arm was throbbing, and I couldn't get off the couch. I'm finding that I hit an exhaustion wall around 4 or 5 o'clock each evening. As long as I can rest on the couch for an hour or two, I'm usually able to then get up and do a few things before bed. I really, really am looking forward to getting more energy back. I'm trying to be patient- it hasn't even been a week yet since the last chemo. But with the weather so nice, I just want to be outside running, playing soccer, hiking, biking, roller blading, chasing kids, all that fun stuff. I got to spend some time in my hammock today laying in the sun. I remember back last winter that the vision of me in my hammock was one of the visions that got me through some very rough times. I'm hoping the roughest of the rough times are behind me now.

1 comment:

PodPoet said...

Krista, I hope you can add a clay tile to your project that simply says "Succulent Wild Krista" because you have been an inspiration to so many by coming this far and sharing your experiences with all of us.