My Journey: Back in the Berkshires

Thursday, May 12, 2011

Back in the Berkshires

I had no idea how long it has been since I posted until Nancy told me she misses reading my blog. Poor thing. She really needs to get a life. Well, we're officially back home in the Berkshires. I know because I watched my dear wife walk out in her nightgown and coat at 5:30 this morning to get the Eagle from the box at the end of the driveway. It doesn't matter when she wakes up, at 2 AM or 7 AM, the first thing she does is get the Eagle, then make coffee and do the sudoku. The house could be burning down, I could be lying on the floor unconscious, but those three things would get done before she dialed 911.

It's a beautiful Spring in the Berkshires. We love seeing everything in bloom. Our lawn is green and the tulips Nancy planted last Fall were showing off for us when we got back Monday. We really enjoyed being on the Cape this Spring. The love and support we got from Pete and Melissa were so important to us both. And to be so close to our beloved grandkids was truly a blessing (and I am going to beat Jacob at soccer one of these days; just gotta keep practicing). We also enjoyed the friendship of our neighbors at Sea Meadow Village. But it's great to be back in the Berkshires, our home for the last 35 years. We truly have the best of both worlds. The weather has been beautiful so far and today looks like another nice day. We went back to Boston yesterday to meet with Dr. T. and to get my PET scan. The meeting with the doc was canceled because my numbers from last week's blood work were so good he didn't need to see me. I'll get the results of the scan in a few days and hopefully they'll be good. This morning I'll head up to BMC to meet with the radiation oncologist to plan for my radiation treatments.

It's nice to be finished with chemo. In spite of the warnings that the side effects would worsen with successive treatments, it seems that for the last couple of cycles my recovery has been easier. I only had a few days of stomach problems and feel great now. And now that the chemo's over I can get back to eating a more healthy diet, mainly cutting out a lot of the red meat I was eating to help keep the blood counts up. Also, I'm going to have to stop pigging out on goodies now that my weight is just about back to normal. The free pass has expired and I don't want to end up twice my original size.

Well, Nancy finally finished the sudoku and so I get to read the front page. It is good to be back home.

1 comment:

AlMay 13, 2011 at 9:40 PM
Ed,

After countless tries and failures, I seemed to have stumbled onto a way to leave a comment. I have no idea what's changed, but I'll take advantage of my good fortune to tell you how much I enjoy your blog. They say it's an ill wind that blows nobody good. In this case, it appears that the ill wind of your cancer has finally motivated you to get in touch with your talent as a writer. I really look forward to your postings and your wonderful narrative style and wit.

All the best,
Al
ReplyDelete
Replies

Add comment

MY ASSISTANTS

This blog, as well as this whole journey, would not be possible without my dedicated and highly capable team of assistants. To wit:

Editor Nancy This lovely young woman is responsible for checking my posts thoroughly for misspellings, syntax errors, omissions, or just plain bad writing. Any complaints should be addressed to her.

Nurse Nancy Though she is not really a nurse, she is always willing to research any problem that arises and to make a diagnosis. She is particularly good at contradicting a doctor's diagnosis if she doesn't like it.

Chef Nancy I'm very lucky to have a personal chef who is expert in a number of different cuisines that I love. In addition to Armenian food, which she learned from my mother, she makes wonderful Italian, Mexican and Indian dishes, as well, of course, as traditional American fare. She is not afraid to try cooking something new, though she always complains about how it came out (in spite of my protestations to the contrary).

Chauffeur Nancy One of the advantages of being sick is that I can kick back and relax on long journeys, while my trusted Chauffeur Nancy does the driving. Also, I get break from being back-seat driven.