I broke into the chemo double digits yesterday. And I'm feeling fine with round 10 just a day behind me. Aside from some slightly warped, yellowing nails, I don't believe I've yet experienced any full-on neuropathy (numbness and tingling in the fingers and toes, among other symptoms). My energy is good most days. Occasionally, I hit a bit of a wall, like when I went out on my first jog in months a few days ago. Because I'm a brisk walker and have been swimming once a week-ish, I figured I'd truck along at my leisurely 11- or 12-minute mile pace, no problem. Nope. I shuffled slowly for the first mile, mile and a half, waiting for my warmed-up legs to get a boost of strength. When that wasn't happening, I walked-jogged-walked-jogged for a bit. I never felt a surge of "I've got this!" energy, but hey, I got out there, "ran" three miles, and that's something. A starting point. After the "run," I felt so spent I had to lie down and a good, little cry as I vented to Sean how tired I am of cancer taking so much of my time, standing in between me and exercise too often, and/or making it harder for me to focus on work or feel present as a parent. He's such a great listener. He doesn't try to talk me out of feeling blue. He just rubs my back and says I'm doing great, even when I feel like I'm not. So I bucked up, got my tired ass to work and wrote, wrote, wrote. I'd fallen behind on one of several projects I've been juggling because of a few frustrating bouts of insomnia. But I buckled down and finished my work just in time to prep a couple side dishes the day before Thanksgiving, then head to a Thanksgiving Eve gathering of several neighborhood families hosted by our good friends Molly (my chemo company for round 9 — in one of the photos below), David and their boys. The highlight of my Thanksgiving morning (usually a brisk run) was a light jog to/from to a nearby soccer field, where Tyler spent a good half hour blocking some pretty fierce shots on net. I don't mess around when I give that guy goalie practice. It's fun seeing Tim Howard-like reflexes in a 6-year-old. Sean's folks, visiting us from Pennsylvania, very wisely encouraged me not to do much cooking for our Thanksgiving feast. All I made was my standby apple cranberry walnut sauce, my new dish of the year: a SUPER delicious shredded kale, brussels sprout and carrot salad with maple sesame dressing (here's the recipe) and some Tofurkey sausage and field roast for veggie-curious Tyler. We got a pre-cooked turkey from PCC, our neighborhood grocery store. It came beautifully bronzed, all shrink-wrapped and ready for us to reheat for a couple hours. Sean's mom did the stuffing and the green beans (with a few minor assists from micromanage-y me). Sean did the mashed potatoes. Sean's dad and Sylvia did the pumpkin pie. PCC did the apple pie. And boom! That, folks, is how you do a low-stress holiday meal. :-) The day after Thanksgiving, I enjoyed my num-num kale and brussels sprout salad with some turkey on top for lunch as I waited for my oncology nurse to hook me up for round 10 of chemo. Sean kept me company after he picked up his race bib and timing chip for the Seattle Marathon, which he's running tomorrow. I'm excited to cheer him on with the kids, his folks and some friends. He's one amazing dude to have trained for a marathon (his seventh) while being a dad to our sweet yet exhausting kids, being there for me, and preparing and trying the first of two criminal cases that began right after I started chemo. Running does as much to keep Sean (and many people who love it) mentally healthy as physically fit. I'm as proud of him — no even prouder — for embracing that benefit of running as I am each he crosses the finish line. Speaking of finish lines, I "graduated" from physical therapy last week. I've regained most of my range of motion in my left shoulder. It's still a bit stiff, but as long as I continue with my stretching and strengthening exercises, swimming, yoga and maybe some massage (ahhhh ... massage), the healing process will keep on keepin' on. Only six (out of 16) more chemo sessions to go: December 4, 10, 17, 24, 31 and one for good measure on January 7. I have a friend or family member lined up for each session, lucky me. Then comes a monthlong break. Can't wait for that. Then six weeks of radiation. Thanks to all of you who keep sending me good vibes. Your notes and hugs and food and gifts (like the "Save the Racks!" T-shirt my high school friend Erika mailed me the other day, one that her hair salon sold as part of a fundraiser for breast cancer research — in one of the photos below) serve as constant reminders of how fortunate I am to have so much support near and far.

#CaringBridge #cancer #chemo #exercise #Thanksgiving #physicaltherapy