That's sort of where I am with cancer treatment. I put on a good show for my family and anyone who calls, but in reality I'm just managing the endgame. My final radiation treatment is Monday the 29th, but I will actually continue to feel worse every day for 7-10 days after that.
The subsequent recovery is then slow but consistent. The big goal is getting back to solid food. It turns out that your throat muscles don't have a good memory, and some people have trouble learning to swallow again. Of course it doesn't help that my taste buds are temporarily shot and there is literally nothing that tastes good right now. It is very strange to have no appetite and to have to force myself to eat. Oh, and did I mention the nausea?
Enough of my bitching. How's your day? Send me an email with something amusing, dammit.
Actually I've been very amused by some of the efforts to make me a CD. It appears that many of my friends are not acquainted with the applicable technologies. Back in the day, everyone (?) knew how to get an album on to a cassette tape, and the more advanced players would spend hours creating the ultimate mix tapes. Now it seems like people somehow get their music on to their computer and their iPod, but God help them if they need it to go anywhere else. One good friend just gave up and sent me a mix CD that her cool niece had made for her. Another friend got a hard lesson on the fact that not all computers that can read a CD can burn a CD. Some of my other friends are turning to teenage children for help. In any case, all the effort is appreciated. Special mention goes to my friends John and Katie, who shipped six CDs all the way from Germany, complete with photo covers from my 30th birthday and our wedding.
Thanks again for all the cards, emails, calls, and prayers. They really make a difference.
I'm sorry I haven't been very responsive - I owe a lot of people return emails. I promise I'll catch up soon.
Michael
