With the Russian madman causing mayhem in the world, I am really trying to maintain a positive outlook.
The war news is dominating and it’s difficult to avoid. But am very aware of how my mental health can affect my physical health, so I am attempting (and so far succeeding) to limit my news watching/viewing. I look at just enough to get a very superficial overview but even that is more than I want. I feel so sad for all the people affected by this megalomaniac!
Time flies by, even the chemo treatments. Yesterday was #5 of the planned 6. The results of my blood tests continue to be good. The cancer marker went from 301 to 187 this week. But not low enough to move on to the next stage. Dr. McCleave said they want to see it at around 30 which is quite a long way yet.
When I came back to South Africa in 2019, I naturally gravitated to where I was born and grew up. And actually ended up in the what we used to call the village of Kloof. (It’s no longer a village!) Kloof is about 18 miles/29km from Durban and just on 1600ft/500km above sea level, giving the area a more moderate climate than Durban, usually being a good 10F less which was the case when I took Rodney to the park this afternoon. Plus less humid.
The fourth treatment went as planned. Mick came with me so he was able to meet my doctor. It’s always good to have another set of ears in a consultation but this one was very straightforward because everything is going so well.
November 16 last year is the fateful day I got the definitive news that changed my life.
By then I ‘d been in hospital for 8 days going through tests and everything else that goes along with a cancer diagnosis. I’d just had laparoscopic surgery for a biopsy and the GYN/surgeon came to visit me after I had very gently been given the diagnosis. He’s a lovely man and from reading his bio, a pretty religious one as well. He said to me as he sat at my bedside, “Have you considered end of life?”
One of the main reasons I had made the decision to not make South Africa my permanent home is the the sense of isolation and distance from family and friends in the US. Just knowing how far it is and how long it takes to go back and forth between the two locations was what clinched that deal. I was so afraid of getting stuck here.
And now, here I am under COVID-19 rules, with no idea how long I will stay.
We’d all like to have nothing to do with awful situation that has turned the entire world upside down, sowing chaos and misinformation.
For those of us who are away from their “home” countries, the disruption is particularly disturbing. Although South Africa is technically my home, the fact is that the majority of my friends and family are not here and with flights being cancelled, airports closed, social isolation and quarantines topping the news, I can feel a bit of panic setting in, being stuck here. Even though I hadn’t really thought about leaving until late May/early June.
Yes, you read that correctly! It’s one of the benefits of living in South Africa! And ironed sheets, too.
Neither of which I particularly care about, but these sort of things are taken for granted! I think it’s a waste of time. But because Jabu, who cleans my granny flat once a week, technically works for my landlord, I don’t correct her or tell her not to do it. But I do appreciate the scrubbed down bathroom, sparkling kitchen and mopped floors. And my ironed shirts.
The idea of writing a book is taking hold and with time on my hands, I thought it would be a good idea to go back through my blog posts. I started my Gray Haired Lady site way back in 2005. It was originally a blogspot blog, pretty rudimentary (and it’s still up). Those sites are nothing like we have available now but I did transition the site to a more current-style site as well.
