What's Up With the Doc 54? - Not Smart Enough to Outsmart a Horse

I can only laugh about my day and recognize that I must not be in very bad shape since I survived it. I was supposed to meet the vet at the barn where Hannah winters her camp horse, Dennis, for spring shots and a lameness evaluation. Because the world has gone insane with swine flu and, hence, my work life is similarly insane I had to go straight to the barn from work. No big deal. We've been dry for days here so it shouldn't have been a problem. I sat in my car, listening to an audio book and watching the horses graze in the pasture in front of me - a bucolic Connecticut scene if ever there was one. When I had been there for 30 minutes I called the vet's answering service to confirm that he was coming. By the time I got off the phone he was pulling into the barn and lo!, the horses had disappeared. I grabbed a halter and went off in search of them. This took me to the back of the pasture, or "the swamp," where I skipped from stone to stone in my capris and nice navy flats (received as a Mother's Day gift from Hannah last year) and reached the horses. I attempted to put the halter on Dennis, but couldn't get it fastened. I led him off that way. I couldn't go back the way I had come so headed for the little stream, hoping to find stones to step across. Instead, I sunk my foot into the muck, Dennis pulled back, the halter came flying off and he ran back to the herd as I went hands first into the muck at the base of the stream. Both shoes came off - one buried for all eternity somewhere my searching hand couldn't find it. I slogged across the stream and then the pasture barefoot and got a hug and a promise from the vet to come back on Monday and try again. If I could accomplish that stupidity without breaking my hip, I don't think I need the cane any more.

Yesterday I met with the radiation oncologist and had my first treatment. He's going to deliver the treatment in 5 sessions, which will not disrupt my schedule in the least. Two down and three to go. I'm once again covered with Xs to mark the spots and lots of little pieces of circular tape that I'm not supposed to disturb until after the last treatment on Monday. Fun times but nothing that hinders life in the least.

I've emailed the oncologist at Dana-Farber to see where we stand on genetic testing of the tumor. I'm not going to let anyone do anything to me as far as systemic treatment until after Emma's graduation and until I don't feel pyucky and puny from the Cisplatin/Taxotere any more but I know my oncologist will be anxious so I'll try to get a time estimate from Dana-Farber.

So other than swine flu insanity, a confounding horse and persistent side effects from the last chemotherapy everything is going pretty well. The daffodils are on the wane and the tulips are starting to bloom. The trees are all wearing their spring wardrobe and there's the first sign of dogwood getting ready to burst forth. I'm excited for mine to bloom - a pink one that was a gift from Philip last year.

I leave on May 15th for Emma's graduation. A friend is visiting mid-June and my mother is going to try to make it back for my birthday on June 20th. I'm going to wait until I know for sure what my next steps are and see if I can't get to feeling a little better before I make any more travel plans (well, except knowing that I'll head over to Long Island with Hannah and Philip at some point after they get out of school to impose on my aunt and uncle).

I hope spring is putting a little bounce in everyone's step and that you are all enjoying beautiful spring weather and blooms. Every once in a while someone should remind me that a) I'm not a teenager and b) I really should have developed a little more sense by this point in my life.

Lisa