yesterday was my birthday. i received a lot of happy birthday messages from my friends and facebook friends. i am very grateful for these well wishes, and i am very happy to have another birthday to celebrate, considering what i have been through over the past 4 years. i did not always like my birthday ( getting older) as much as i do now. but of course, a lot of things have changed. my attitude and my whole outlook on life, for one. i am so thankful for all the little things in life- good food, good friends, family, a cool breeze that happens by on a hot afternoon. things that i took for granted before, but not now.
in october, i go for another six month blood work and ultrasound check. these checkups are very stressful for me, as i am sure they are for everyone, but i am happy that my endocrinologist is taking such good care of me. i had stage three papillary, with follicular variant thyroid cancer , as well as cancer in two of my parathyroids. this is why i am still going back for six month check ups even though it has been four years since my diagnosis. some people think that five years is the " magic number" and i asked my doctor about this. she said unfortunately, she had a patient who had a recurrence after 7 years. so i guess i will just forget about any particular time frame, and just be happy i am seeing a doctor who cares about me.
i have not been able to go to my zumba class in a month or so, and that is affecting my mood.( and not in a good way- ask my husband !) . i hurt my neck at work ( easy to do perhaps, as there is not as much support in my neck as there used to be) using the telephones so much. i am going to physical therapy starting next week, and have asked the company i work for, at my doctor's suggestion, for a headset. i hope they come through with it. i find that zumba class, even just once or twice a week, improves my mood considerably. it is my " prozac", as i have said before. before i got sick, i did not take such good care of myself. i did not eat well, nor did i exercise. since being sick, i have tried several "strategies" you might call them, in hopes of improving my overall health. i have found that eating well, exercising, being grateful for all the good things that come my way, prayer, and time spent with family and friends have made me feel better. i do not know if these things have necessarily help me fight cancer, but i do believe that they are at least part of me being in remission these past four years.
i am hoping to add " getting more sleep" and "meditation" to my list of good things to do for myself . i think that these two things are very important, but i am still a work in progress, as the saying goes. it is hard to do everything at once, and really, overwhelming, but worth the effort in the end. i could also add " managing or cutting down on stress" to the list, but anyone with a full time job- especially one where you deal with the public, knows just how hard that is!
yesterday my husband and i celebrated my birthday quietly, but happily. today, my whole family- including my two precious grandsons, will be here for a rowdy and happy birthday celebration. i am thankful that they will all be here to remind me of all the good things in my life, and the most important,too. and i certainly intend to enjoy and relish every single minute with all of them!
