Weirder than Weird

Bo and I celebrated our wedding anniversary on July 5 - nine years of matrimonial bliss. Okay, that may be a little bit of stretch. It has been nine years though, and probably 8.75 of them have been pretty content and the remaining .25 have been only a little frustrating. Regardless, we are happy. I would attribute this to our acceptance of eachother for who we are. Bo did this from the day we met. He has always loved the woman I am, flaws and all, and hasn't tried to change me. It took me a little longer to get there. I joke that I was perfect when our paths first crossed back in June 1995 and that he still needed work. The truth is, I was the one who needed a little bit of work to realize that love isn't about shaping the person into who you think they should be or who you want them to be - it is about helping your partner grow in the ways important to that person. I love my husband!!!

So what's weird about that? Nothing, but this is. I am sure you have heard of sympathy pain. Well, Bo seems to have taken that to an extreme. Bo has developed a hard mass under the nipple on his left side. He went to the doctor yesterday, and the doctor isn't exactly sure what it is. She doesn't think that it is anything to be concerned about though. Nonetheless, she said that if it doesn't go away in two to three weeks, she wants to send him to Dr. D ( my radiologist) to have it checked out. Men do get breast cancer, but it is extremely rare. Only 2,000 men are diagnosed each year with breast cancer, compared to 200,000 women. We are not worried about it, but we are hoping that it does go away on its own so that it is one less thing we need to think about.

I went for my labwork yesterday and all of my counts were acceptable. My red blood count was still a little low, but I received medicine after my last chemo treatment to help raise it and boost my energy level. Energy level really hasn't been an issue though. I haven't noticed any decline and have even been able to maintain my regular treadmill routine.

I am meeting lots of other cancer patients during my visits to the oncologist's office. It is actually a little scary how routine the conversations about cancer have become for me. Yesterday, we were discussing treatment options and side effects and exchanging tips on coping. Even though the journey is very personal, I understand now that I have become part of a very, very large circle of people who are experiencing similar things. One of the women mentioned that she had seen a t-shirt that said, "I have chemo brain. What is your excuse?" What will they come up with next? (Chemo brain, I am told, is inability to focus or concentrate, loss of memory, etc. Shoot. I have had those symptons since I started having kids, so I doubt I'll even notice that!)

I had a couple of very nice visits this week. John, a former co-worker from the Department of Social Services, and his wife, Margaret, joined us for dinner Monday night. John has the distinction of being my first professional mentor upon my graduation from William and Mary 20 (ugh!) years ago and the ensuing introduction to the world of work. Our families have remained close over the years. My friend, Pam, and her daughter Kristin, took me to dinner last night. Pam is also a former colleague from my Social Services days. All this attention is very nice and very appreciated, and I want everyone to know that I hope the increased focus on friendships and making the efforts to see eachother to continue long after I am cancer free! It is so easy to get caught up with the day to day aspects of living that we forget that life is all about the relationships we nurture and the way we touch others.