I have a new friend. It's a very one-sided relationship, but it's working for us both. It's name is Darvocet. I take it, it gives pain relief. It also makes me dizzy which makes me puke, but you have to take the good with the bad, right?
Tuesday night the congestion in my head and ears started to effect my hearing. As I understand, sinus issues are one of those side-effects of taxotere, but one you just kinda have to deal with and get through. Wednesday evening found me in the med. center with throbbing ear pain (thank you Janna and Bev for helping!) A couple hours later I'm on amox. and darvocet and sleeping like a babe. Unfortunately even today (Friday) my hearing and dizziness hasn't resolved. I imagine that due to chemo, my healing factor is down so much that it'll take a while. I'm confident that some time today, the goo'll slide away from my eardrum and I'll be back on track! Knock on wood.
Which brings us to hearing. God continues to add to my areas of empathy - this time: those with hearing troubles. I've learned that I rely a great deal on periferal input when having conversations. To be able to glean feedback from your environment through sounds and not just sight has a huge impact on my ability to have a conversation. So in a short conversation with someone across the room at a gathering not only can I not tell how loudly I am talking and if I'm communicating clearly, but I can't get auditory feedback from the room to know if other people are hmm,mmm-ing/tuning in that I should pay attention to additional people. Plus the frequencies that I can hear are over-the-top distracting and interfering with all the mental energy I'm putting out (and when I'm not feeling well and responding to my environment effectively, I tend to mentally shut down, so it's not saying much!) It's exhausting! Another area of growth and learning for Amanda!
In the meantime, LOTS of rest. Yesterday I emerged from the bedroom for less than an hour total probably. Josh on the other hand, made a fantastic meal of prime rib, glazed carrots, spinach/cranberry/avocado salad, cheesy potatoes, etc., etc. He spent the morning moving stuff and the afternoon/evening in the kitchen. You see, we had our neighbors over for a farewell dinner last night. If you have not had your neighbors over as a collective group for dinner, I highly recommend it! In our neighborhood, we talk and enjoy our neighbors individually (when we're not hibernating), but we had never gathered them all at the same time. In our next neighborhood, we're going to have everyone over shortly after we move in. It just makes sense.
And finally, George. We found a home for George! Barring any disaster at pick-up tonight, he'll be the happy resident on a 20 acre horse farm out in Standale. Hooray! Though cat adoption and cancer don't seem intricately linked, there's certainly a connection between stress & anxiety and slow recovery. So to have George safely adopted means less anxiety and greater healing. Knock on wood, again.
Thank you, God for teaching moments and small blessings.
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