So, here is the update and details of my recovery. Yep. I'm still recovering and still on medicines, even though we tried to get off of them altogether a few months ago.
Things I can't wait to get back to doing:
- breathing without a tube in my nose: SUCCESS - tube and O2 equipment is out of the house. Finally!
- sleeping in my bed next to my husband: SUCCESS - and success...
- cooking: SUCCESS - loving every meal I make!!
- pushing a grocery cart, not sitting in one: SUCCESS - getting the shopping done every week without a backwards glance at the electric cart!!
- exercising like I used to: WORKING ON IT. Just exercised officially for the first time today. It's what made me want to write.
- mini-triathlon: NOT YET. Maybe in a few years. Before I'm 40?
- riding a bike: NOT YET. I expect to take a short ride or two with my family this summer. Somewhere level and close to home.
- walking to class without feeling winded: UMMM. Never got to that point while I was still in school. (See later answers...)
- focusing on school: SUCCESS - Finished my BS in Political Science last May, then my BS in Mass Comm in December! Woohoo!
- seeing fewer doctors: NOT YET. This will be a while. I still see an Internist, Endocrinologist, Oncologist, and Radiation Oncologist.
- looking for jobs in Manhattan: LOOKED. Realized I need to be here close to my doctors. Also, I want to be able to afford to enjoy life working only one job.
- working on my CV and cover letters: SUCCESS - Easiest job application ever!! I sent in my worked over resume (thanks to my friend Kathleen) and ended up getting an awesome position in my fields! AWESOME!!
- working on my website - SUCCESS - Actually taught a few web design classes last fall at the University of Utah. I still "own" the website: http://teach.utah.edu.
- having dinner parties - SUCCESS - I had my first post-cancer/Cushings dinner party in late February. It was a lot of fun and we will definitely be having more this summer in the back yard! (Could not had done that without my husband's help - plus, he makes parties fun.)
- cleaning my house - AS SUCCESSFUL AS IT'S GOING TO GET... :) (looked into a house cleaning service recently, not because I can't, but because I really don't like to.)
- helping at my daughter's school - NOT YET: Just reminded my daughter. She asked "why do you want to help at my school?" I said, "because it's one of my goals, now quit asking silly questions!"
- going out with friends - SUCCESS - Not nearly often enough, but I have managed to get out for dinners, movies, coffee, etc. I'm not terribly close to my girlfriends. I never have had good luck with girlfriends. Most of my friends, from a very early age, were boys. I hope to do more with the girlfriends I do have, despite our lack of closeness.
- going on dates with my husband - NOT REALLY. It's all in the planning and that is something we just don't do.
- continuing to create new family traditions - SUCCESS: My favorite new tradition is related just to summer. Sleeping on our back patio, all three of us, on a weekend night after bbq'ing, watching a movie on the big flat screen we bring outside to put on the bar while we sit in camp chairs around our fire pit sipping a cool drink.
- Monday Night Dinners - SUCCESS - But not anymore. We're saving money and trying to eat healthier. Now we only eat what we want (whatever we want) on Sundays. It's healthier and we save money. It's a change in my goal, but I couldn't be happier with it!
- polar bear club - NEXT YEAR FOR SURE!!
- shopping for stylish clothing - SUPER SUCCESS!! Day at Nordstroms. The thing is, I need to go again; and it's actual NEED! Losing weight is the greatest excuse for shopping sprees!
- finding a style (should happen before the previous item) - SUCCESS: I have found that whatever fits and looks good is my style.
- dancing - SUCCESS: Yes. It's usually by myself in the kitchen with Katy Perry on my iPod.
- visiting friends (some have had babies in the last year and I haven't seen them at all!) - SUPER FAILURE. I've seen a few of my friends (lunch visits or randomly at Target during the holidays). I have not put forth the effort I should. My biggest problem when it comes to friends.
- traveling for vacation - SUCCESS: Still California, but visiting without being poked with a needle is a nice vacation.
- fishing - PLANNED: I was supposed to go fly fishing with my dad for my birthday last month but it was just too freezing cold and we were just worried about me physically handling that much.
- camping (I've never been, but would like to go some time) - SORT OF. The combination of the patio experience (previously explained) and another one of our Sunday experiences during the summer of going up the canyon for campfire dinners works for me!
- hiking - NOPE. I need to work on my endurance. Then I'll give it a try.
- snowshoeing!! (I have missed the last two winters and I love to snowshoe - fun and a great workout!) STILL MISSING IT!
- shopping with my tween daughter - SUCCESS: The mall is a very entertaining place to be with your preteen daughter.
- playing Wii with my daughter (I'm horrible mostly, but it's time spent with her) - SUCCESS! Post chemo/radiation recovery last summer I spent some time working the Wii on Super Mario Bros.
- showing my daughter what it means to be a woman - ONLY TIME WILL TELL. I work at this every day. I think some things sink in and other things get lost in translation (or eaten up in some dark black hole in space).
- gardening (flowers and plants - I've given up on vegetables/fruits because Craig loves it so much) - PLANNED: I'll be growing some pumpkins this summer! Hopefully planting out the front beds too!
- home maintenance and decorating - PLANNED: Dining room, bedrooms, patio, painting house (supervising of course), and painting something to go above the fireplace!
- bending over to lace up shoes - CHECK! Wore tennis shoes last Saturday for the first time in a few years.
- seeing my feet when standing - SUPER CHECK! I need another pedicure. It must be close to summer.
- sitting in those little desks at school without feeling like I'm being cut in half - WHO KNOWS? Never got to that point. My last class at the University of Utah was in an auditorium with nice padded seats. I fit in those pretty well!
- eating an apple without slicing it up first, same thing with a carrot - SUCCESS! My braces came off February 16, 2010.
- flossing my teeth in 2 or 3 minutes, rather than 20 or 30 (threading between braces takes a long, long time!) - SUCCESS!
- wearing necklaces - SUCCESS!
- swimming - SUCCESS! Tonight was the first true use of swimming as an exercise. In the last month or so, we've gone swimming as a family and jumped off the diving board too. I raced my 12 year old daughter down and back and won! Of course, when I got back, Craig was there to keep me from drowning while I caught my breath. I totally kicked her butt!
- running - NOPE. I think this will happen in time, but it will be a while.
- finding my abs and butt - BUTT FOUND. Abs are still hiding.
- taking a family picture - SUCCESS. Not necessarily happy about it though. My husband's family took a big family picture last summer. I was still bald and wore a pretty scarf and a big smile.
- evening walks after dinner - SUCCESS. Well, we did it last summer and just started this year.
- caring for friends, family and neighbors who may need me - TOTAL FAILURE. I have to say that I knew it would happen, I just didn't think I would be one of those people who would be doing it. My friend was in the hospital after a bad skiing accident. I was there with my friend, his wife, while he was in surgery. I went to visit once afterward while he was still there. I told him to not be surprised when the visits from people started to deteriorate. It was natural. It happened to me, but I was determined not to be one of those that faded. Months went by before I saw him again. Crappy friend I am.
- planning graduation parties! SUCCESS! My family threw me a graduation party last May in California. My husband is taking me to see U2 in Salt Lake City next month for graduation. It should had been last year, but Bono had emergency back surgery. That's okay with me though. I'll probably enjoy it a lot more this year now that I'm healthier!
- driving my car - SUCCESS! I love gold leader...
- washing my car (inside and out) - SUCCESS! I love gold leader...
- building more websites for people on the side - WELL.... Not really so interested in that anymore. Time I guess.
- go to the zoo - NOT YET. Requires a lot of walking. I don't think I'm quite there yet.
- walk through a museum - NOT YET. I would like to do that though.
- being told I have a sexy body - SUCCESS! My husband tells me all of the time. I actually believe him! I'm looking better and better all the time. I don't look like I used to, but, then again, I'm not who I used to be.
