Row, row, row your boat....

Yes, that’s right. Fall rowing season is back in full swing. This week I rowed my first full practice in months! It was hot (98 degrees) and long (an hour and a half) and I gave it my all, which is saying a lot considering I’ve pretty much let exercise and exertion take a back seat since January.

Don’t get me wrong…I’ve taken walks…but not regularly. And I take the stairs when I can…but haven’t pushed myself past four flights. But I’ve decided that I’m just sick and tired of being sick and tired (and fat). So last night kicked off my new work out regime. I’ve joined a new gym (with two goals in mind #1 to get back into fighting shape and #2 to land myself a doctor BF) gotten and new athletic swimsuit and am ready to dive into swimming and all the other pilates and yoga classes the gym has to offer.

But I digress. Last night was exhilarating and tiring all at the same time. There is just something magical to me about skimming along the river. I’m a water baby so any water sport is just grand to me…but this is different. It’s much like sailing in that you have to focus on the moment, think strategically, and breathe. Breathing is very important.

I also learned last night that, when applied correctly, SPF 90 does indeed keep every bit of sun from burning your skin. I’m pretty sure that stuff would protect a vampire. So I made it through a full practice in sweltering heat, gave it 100%, and didn’t get a sun burn. Take THAT cancer!

10th Treatment...DONE!

So last week I was sunning myself in Los Angeles without a care in the world. Sitting by a sparkling pool, drinking some beers with my friends from other chambers around the country and not really thinking about cancer…until someone asked me…”So do you think about cancer ALL the time???”

My answer? “Well…no. I wasn’t just now until you asked!”

So funny how everyone reacts differently to that word. I am part of a program for chamber executives that meets every year for four years in Los Angeles. After the 4th year we get to put a little handy-dandy distinction behind our names. So it’s like going to school each summer with the same kids. Last summer we were all new and were making friends. This year it was like seeing friends that you haven’t seen in a long time. Some people already knew about my cancer and others didn’t. Those who didn’t were quite shocked by the news but quickly recovered with a pat on the back, a “go get ‘em tiger!”, and a “can I buy you a beer?”

I’m beginning to think that’s pretty much the summation of my cancer experience…”Go get ‘em tiger!” and “Can I buy you a beer?” I think because I don’t look sick (nor does anyone other than my mom see me act sick) most people assume I’m tackling it with gusto and hope to reward my gusto with a beer. Thank God I can finally drink them now that I’m not on the drug that made me averse to cold drinks.

Speaking of drugs…my new drug that replaced the one I was allergic too has a name that sounds like…I-ran-to-the-can…which is quite hilarious and ironic since it does just that. Two words I never thought I’d actually hear my doctor say together…”Explosive” and “Diarrhea”. Such fun to think about that. And so much more fun to experience it…especially at work. This new drug, though glorious because I can drink cold drinks, is bugging me with the side effects. It’s making my fingers and toes numb. It’s making me more nauseated. Oh yeah…and there’s the gastrointestinal fireworks.

So I got back last Thursday from my glorious week long trip to California where I got to visit my friends Mike, and Cathy and Kevin, just in time to jet to chemo Friday morning. MAN what a downer! But the vacation proved to me, once again, that a disease like this might limit your energy but it can’t limit your spirit and joie de vie! I felt so good there! I didn’t care how backed up the traffic was on the 405 on my way to Ventura I was heading to see Cat and Kevin! Nor did I care that taking the PCH from Ventura to LA would add additional time to my drive down. How can you not be LOVING life (even if you’re in a rental car that is the love child of a station wagon and a mini-van) when you’re driving with the windows down and the tunes turned up through Malibu??? I suggest that anyone who can be down on life during that drive needs their humanity card revoked. Look around people! Life, in its smallest moments, is glorious!

So I’ve finished my 10th treatment…which means I have TWO LEFT!!! Dr. Keefer said last week that as far as he’s concerned we’ll do one more PET scan to make sure…but I’m cured. He said he was looking at these treatments as a means to an end…not a band aid. So with annual colonoscopies…I should be able to live the rest of my life colon cancer-free. Yippee!!!

So anyone reading this blog who is going through similar treatments…hang tough! There is an end in sight. And when you get right up on it…it’s so glorious to see!