Facebook Pixel

A New Year

 
Rate This

Welcome 2010! It feels so strange to say that. I cannot believe a whole year has gone by. I still feel like I am back in 2008. This year just breezed by. I guess time flies when you spend time in and out of hospitals and running around with caregivers in an out of town. I am so blessed to have so many caring people in my life and those that I have not met yet, but religiously follow my blog offering support. It is the comments and emails of support that I receive that keep my hope alive and help me to feel that I am not alone in this fight.

I just finished my 6th round of taxotere on Wednesday. This is the first chemo that I have gone all 6 rounds. I have a petscan scheduled in January to determine the next steps. I am praying that I have improvement or at least have remained where I was from the last petscan. Every day that I wake up is a new day and brings new surprises.

I was able to make it home for the holidays, travelling by plane and by myself for the first time this year. I felt pretty good and energized. Near the end of my stay I started getting nauseous and spent a good amount of time in the a.m. in the bathroom. It passed like usual and I was back to my old self by the time I left.

I came home to my house covered in dust from the remodel and my lonely kitties that were so excited to see me and eat some yummy wet food. I ended up booking a room again at the Montelucia since the cleaning crew wasn’t coming until Thursday. I still have another week or two before the bathrooms are completely done.

I am so excited to finally move back in my house. I need to get the cleaning ladies to come again because the house still feels like it’s covered in dust and I can feel it seeping through my lungs. The cats are going this weekend to Petsmart to get groomed and cleaned, because even they have dust all over their fur.

So here we are in the New Year. I have made it through 12 months and longer of living with a deadly disease. I feel relatively good and optimistic for the New Year. This year is all about taking my life back.

1) I want to focus on my daily strength exercises from physical therapy and head to the gym to ride the bike a couple of times a week. The goal with this is to gain enough endurance to go about my day-to-day activities and TRAVEL without getting as tired.

2) Take ALL of my medications as instructed. Sometimes I slack and forget to take pills or just put it off because I feel nauseous or tired of taking so many pills.

3) Join a networking or support group. I know the wellness center in downtown Phoenix has myriad classes and networking for people with lung cancer and young adults with cancer. It would be nice to meet some more people and share experiences.

4) New Zealand! I am going to do whatever I can to make it to New Zealand this year.

5) Discover a way to increase my income. I am currently on long term disability and will either go back to work, or find a way to make some money on the side.

6) Spend time with loved ones and support those that have supported me.

Add a Comment1 Comments

Expert HERWriter Guide Blogger

Hi Melissa - Yes, here we are, in a new year with a lot ahead of us. It's good to find you feeling relatively good and optimistic.

I LOVE your New Year's resolutions, and would like to help you in your goal of taking back your life in 2010. Can we make a deal to get together in the first week of 2011 and celebrate what you do with your resolutions? I will be there for you, and know you will make your goals.

In the meantime, I too have heard wonderful things about the Wellness Center in Phoenix from other lung cancer patients and encourage you to go there. They even have a chef who does cooking classes! And, if it would be of interest to you, I'd be happy to help you find some online support groups. I'm in several, and as you said, it's just really nice to meet other people and share experiences.
Happy 2010 Melissa! Take care, Pat

January 4, 2010 - 6:00pm
Image CAPTCHA
Enter the characters shown in the image.
By submitting this form, you agree to EmpowHER's terms of service and privacy policy
Add a Comment

We value and respect our HERWriters' experiences, but everyone is different. Many of our writers are speaking from personal experience, and what's worked for them may not work for you. Their articles are not a substitute for medical advice, although we hope you can gain knowledge from their insight.

Lung Cancer

Get Email Updates

Lung Cancer Guide

Have a question? We're here to help. Ask the Community.

ASK

Health Newsletter

Receive the latest and greatest in women's health and wellness from EmpowHER - for free!