8/26/15. The post where Mom reminds me how to fight like a girl.

8/26/15: trying to get back into the swing of things.  We got home from our vacation Friday night and immediately shifted back into panic mode.  Houseguests, hosting a charity wine tasting event, and then beginning final preparations for our upcoming annual music series fundraising gala.  After a whirlwind weekend, going to the office Monday morning was almost a relief.  Almost. 

My foot hasn't been any happier about returning from vacation than I have been.  A combination of wearing "real" shoes, daily workouts, humidity, and frenzied activity has caused a fairly decent flare up. But nothing I can't handle. Because I am my mother's daughter.  

Mom finished her last radiation treatment today.  We didn't know until yesterday that today would be the last one.  You may remember from my last post that she'd had a setback. I didn't share any details then, but at the end of what was supposed to be six weeks of radiation, her medical team discovered they had not been radiating exactly the right location, so the tumor was not gone.  They gave her the option of taking a break to recover while they worked out plan B.  But taking a break is not what she had in mind.  She didn't miss a day of treatment.  They recalculated the radiation points and she muscled through.  Which was a good decision, because the new points worked like a charm.  And today, we got an email with a subject line that said, "We got it!"  Best email ever.  Maybe not the end of the story, but the end of a chapter.  And what a great way to end it!

You're never too old to learn a life lesson from your mom.  You're also never too old to learn a new song from your mom.  You may know it already, but here is a link for times when you need a fight song:

http://youtu.be/xo1VInw-SKc.  (Sorry you have to watch an ad. Guess it's the price we pay for all this fancy technology.)  Bring it on, RSD.  'Cause I've still got a lot of fight left in me.  

8/19/15. The post where I tell you about my trip.

8/19/15: whew.  It's been an eventful two weeks.  My patient, long-suffering husband and I left nearly two weeks ago to celebrate his numerically significant birthday.  The road goes on forever and the party never ends.

We've driven several thousand miles.  We've visited siblings - his and mine.  We've eaten some wonderful food and seen some beautiful scenery.  We've tasted a lot of wine.  We've purchased a lot of wine.  We've hauled a lot of wine in and out of hotel rooms.  It's been an epic journey.  Two more days of driving and we'll be home.  Just in time for a really busy fall. We will probably spend the next few months eating ramen noodles and living on love, but it was worth it. There are lots of stories to tell, but I will save them for a rainy day.  And based on what we've seen over the last two weeks, much of this country could use a rainy day.

Lots of things have happened while we have been enjoying our trip.  Mom has had a setback and will have to undergo additional radiation.  A musician friend is nearing the end of a valiant fight with brain cancer.  An acquaintance whose daughter is dealing with RSD and other medical issues had a house fire while she was at the hospital with her daughter.  Makes my complaints seem even pettier than usual.

Frankly, I haven't had too many complaints, at least where my feet are concerned. I've had a few ups and downs, but for the most part, hot and dry weather seems to agree with RSD.  And I know for sure that my stimulator is working. Guess how I know?  Because I had the brilliant idea to turn it off for a few hours today.  Even after changing the program a few times over the course of the trip, I was becoming a little annoyed by the vibrations and I was starting to get pretty frequent foot cramps, which I attributed to the stimulator.  I was feeling well enough that I thought I would try going without it.  Not a good idea. Things were okay in the car, but as soon as I tried to step on it, my foot quickly reminded me that I have the stimulator for a reason.  I turned it back on, but the damage was done.  Hoping I can get a good night's sleep and wake up refreshed for the final leg of our journey.  But even if I don't, at least I have enough good memories to last a lifetime.  Oh, and about ten cases of wine...

8/3/15. The post where I try not to screw up anything.

8/3/15: first decent night of sleep in more than a week.  And as a result, I woke up even more tired than usual.  But I forgot all about being tired pretty quickly after getting to work. This was one of those crazy, stressful, multitasking Mondays.  At one point, I found myself talking on the phone with one colleague while texting another colleague while proofreading a document on my computer.  As far as I know, I didn't screw up anything.

After work, I did some filming for a short film project in my acting class.  We are making a five minute short film and so far, we've done about three hours of filming.  (Now I see why movies take so long to make and cost so much.)  We were filming outside in the heat and I was in full costume, including a wig, so it was all I could do to concentrate on my lines and not sweat off all my makeup.  As far as I know, I didn't screw up anything.

The next few days will be busy as well, in part because we are about to go on a trip to celebrate my patient, long-suffering husband's birthday, which is a significant one.  I won't tell you how old he will be out of respect for his privacy, but I can tell you it starts with a 5, ends with a 0, and rhymes with "shifty." There is a lot to do between now and then, and I hope I don't screw up anything. 

Technically, I guess I have screwed up one thing. Or at least, my feet have. It's time to admit I am having a full-on flare up.  I'm still only in the 5-6 range in my right foot and 2-3 in my left foot, but after having such good fortune for awhile, it feels worse.  Hoping it's just a temporary setback, because I have too many other things to not screw up.

8/2/15. The post where I rest...sort of.

8/2/15: on Thursday night, I was feeling pretty confident, but by Friday morning I was nervous.  Even sitting in the office in my comfiest sandals, both feet were cranky and the stimulator wasn't doing much good. I wasn't quite sure how I was going to spend all afternoon on my feet getting ready for the party and then actually make it through the party.

But never fear, my patient, long-suffering husband came to the rescue, as always.  By the time I got home from my half-day at work, he had gotten the house ready, cleaned out both fridges, and done all the grocery shopping.  I'm not the only tornado in our tiny family.  Because of all his hard work, we were able to spend the afternoon prepping at a leisurely pace, with frequent rest stops (at least, for me).  A few friends arrived early to help with last-minute work and we were ready to party!

We had a great time, and we think our guests did, too.  I feel very fortunate to know so many nice (and fun) people.  It was a late night, but some guests stayed to help us clean up afterward, which made Saturday morning much more bearable. I spent Saturday finishing the clean-up, rehearsing with my acting partner, and having dinner with my patient, long-suffering husband's parents.  Today included church, errands, and chores.  All in all, a pretty restful weekend, at least by my standards.

My left foot feels much better after some rest, but for my right foot, the magic is officially gone.  I even went back to the stimulator program that worked so well last time, with no luck.  RSD continues to confound me.  But I am in good company.  It also continues to confound everyone who is diagnosed with it and the doctors who treat it.  My life lesson in patience continues...