A Visit from Old Friends

Dang, as I've reported in recent posts, I thought that I was -- overall -- approaching normalcy again. Yes, I still have plenty of localized issues with my throat and mouth but, outside that part of my body, my energy level was up and I was feeling pretty good.

In an effort to bring me back to earth, the two fine gentlemen Mr. Radiation and Mr. Chemotherapy thought they'd send me a little reminder this past weekend lest I not forget them.

We had some work to do around the house. Mostly inside -- repainting and decorating a room -- but a little outside work to haul some brush and trash up to the dump. Ed and Julie planned to spend most of the weekend at our house helping so we could knock it out.

Friday night went well. We got all the prep work done -- removing chair rails, sanding, washing, priming, etc. I was pretty pooped but we had worked pretty hard so that was to be expected. After sleeping a little later than normal Saturday morning, I did a little work outside to get the stuff hauled to the dump then joined Eddie back with the painting. All was going well until we finished the first coat mid-afternoon and sat down for a bit to let it dry.

It was just like the old days. I hit a wall and couldn't stay awake if my life depended on it. I assumed my familiar position in the recliner and I was out for 2-1/2 hours, despite the youngins' being less than quiet around me. I finally woke up early evening, we ate some dinner and got to work on a second coat and some electrical work. By 10:00 or so I was exhausted again and was out in the recliner again.

Sunday was a bit better as we were putting the finishing touches on. But Sunday evening was still a challenge and I wound up going to bed earlier than I probably should have given a bit of remaining clean-up that we had to do. Sorry Jenny.

We did get done -- thanks mostly to our help from Ed and Julie -- but dang, I'm just not as far along as I thought I was. I thought my trips to the gym and working full days had prepared me for a weekend of manual labor like this but I was sorely mistaken.

On a separate note, I started work back at our downtown office last week. Much different atmosphere, less attractive commute, etc. but I'm still employed, still receiving a paycheck and -- maybe most important right now -- I still have insurance. Getting settled in now and learning the ropes.

Looking forward to my scans on Friday. Looking less forward to getting the results a week from Friday.