It's funny...here I've got all the time in the world to read the many books that are piled by my chair, just waiting to be picked up and read. Rich keeps adding his own "must read" books to my pile, but with "chemo brain" enshrouding my mind, I don't have the concentration necessary to read for any length of time. Even reading the paper can be a struggle to get through, as my mind loses interest quickly and wants to move on to something else. Or take a nap. Multi-tasking is not a good idea, either, even though I do seem to flit from one thing to another when on my steroids. But that would require too much concentration to see any one thing through (although I really can't blame this on chemo brain), and who knows how many things Rich would come home to find unfinished.
So I keep myself busy knitting while watching movies via Netflix. And my current knitting project is the PROJECT FROM HELL so far! I'm trying to knit a simple vest, with a yarn that is inconsistent in weight...it has thick slubs as well as thin strands to it, so will be very chunky when finished. However, because of this variance, it doesn't knit to scale and I have taken it apart FOUR times now, after reaching the midway point of the back of the vest. I have finally re-written the directions, which is very daring of me because I am NOT an experienced knitter. Scarves, mittens and felted purses are my claim to fame in the knitting world. But I am determined to make this vest work, even if it kills me! I'm already envisioning myself wearing it proudly (it'll look so cute with my red hair), so with all the concentration I can muster, I WILL finish this knitting project!
Hi Marcia,
ReplyDeleteI know just what you mean! When I was in the hospital for my transplant, I brought a whole stack of books to read. I started one book and didn't finish it until 3 weeks out of the hospital! Chemo is an odd experience. I know that a lot depends on the type of drugs you are recieving as well as the dose, but some side effects don't manifest right away. You think to yourself "Hey, that wasn't so bad" and WHAM, you get slammed with something you didn't expect. I had 6 months of intensive chemo beefore the transplant and a solid week of chemo just before the transplant. Here I am 4 and a half months post treatment and my body is still healing. It's amazing how resilient the body can be given the power of the chemo drugs! I'm doing really well. My hair is slowly growing back, my appetite has finally returned and food is starting to taste normal again. My thoughts and prayers are with you as you continue your treatment. You always were a feisty fighter and I know your attitude and strength with see you through this with flying colors! Hang in there!
Love,
Janet