Journal of a Living Lady #153

 

Nancy White Kelly

 

By the time you read this I will have traveled over a thousand miles in a two-week period. Living in the mountains has its advantages, but the disadvantage is that some serious medical treatments require traveling to a larger town. This is the end of my second week of pelvic radiation. The actual zapping is quick, less than ten minutes on the table, but then there is that long journey back home.

 

I have a hospital bed now. The trapeze bar makes turning and getting up and down easier. I nap in it, but still sleep with my Buddy at night. Old routines die hard for the both of us. I am supposed to be in a wheel chair all the time. The radiologist says if I fall again and fracture a hip, I will be spending several weeks in the hospital. I have the wheel chair, but can’t seem to make myself use it. I do use the walker that converts to a little seat when needed and I try to be careful whenever I am out.

 

Buddy, thinking of what the future may hold, is turning our living room into an all-purpose caregiving/visitation room. Since we also have a den, we don’t really use the living room for socializing anyway. Even with the medical bed, there is room enough for a small sofa, recliner and Charlie’s piano. When he marries in June, I suppose Charlie and Tori will move the piano to their new home. His Dad and I miss his playing those old hymns for hours at a time.

 

Charlie is teaching science about fifty miles away this semester and has rented a small mobile home until the wedding. His trailer is on the way to the town where I take the radiation treatments.  Unfortunately, Charlie is usually at work when we pass by. Buddy and I plan to spend the night at his place soon. That is a strange feeling, us sleeping at his residence instead of him sleeping here at home. This empty-nest thing takes some adjusting. Otherwise, we are doing well, considering.

 

A friend of mine who also has metastatic breast cancer wrote her obituary this week just in case. She pushed the wrong key and accidentally sent the email to all her friends in her computer email address book. You can imagine the relief to get another message from her saying she is still alive and kicking.

 

Sort of reminds me of me. I read the obituary section of the paper everyday to make sure my name isn’t listed. If not, then I know I can go about my day without worrying about attending a funeral.

 

nancyk@alltel.net            www.anglefire.com/bc/nancykelly