I was supposed to play a gig tomorrow, but had to cancel. It is disappointing to not be able to play. But, my left arm is just too weak and it hurts to just type let alone play my bass. My doctor wants me to give it rest so I can be ready for the next chemo. Still, I so hated to let my band down and without time to find a sub. So, I will go and hear them play and maybe sing a little bit, but no playing the bass this weekend.
The band is keeping pretty busy (we had two gigs last weekend). But, since it was my chemo weekend, I could not play. We are booked at the Orange County Fair next weekend. But, I am not sure if I can pull that one off either. I will have to play it by ear . . . okay, very bad pun.
Overall I am doing well right now. I am pretty much past this last chemo. I still have some of the annoying problems lingering – arms and hands and lower legs and feet are numb and painful (strange combination really). It goes away eventually, but it makes little things difficult. For example, I can’t open a bottle of water or use a can opener or grasp small things well or anything that takes a little strength from my hands or fingers. It is weird. But, it is not that bad really. Just an annoyance that I am mostly reminded of when I try to do something minor. And, hopefully it will go away in a few days.
This weekend I will get to see a cousin of mine. It has been 30 years since I have seen him. He and his wife and two kids are in town and so we are going to meet up tomorrow afternoon. I am really looking forward to it. The last time I saw my cousin Tom we were both in stitches over a tennis match between my dad and my uncle. Now he has a boy nearly the same age as we were when we last saw each other. Time really flies.
We lost our Aunt Anne to breast cancer in 1994. So the disease is very real (and scary) for my family. But, things were much different back then. I have no idea if my Aunt had the same type of breast cancer. But, if she did, the drug that cures it (Herceptin) was not FDA approved until 1998. And even then, it was only approved for late stage cancer. It has only been in the past four or five years that Herceptin was approved for earlier stage breast cancer. Amazing really. It took nine years from the first clinical trial with Herceptin to get it FDA approved. So many women died in the interim. But, now so many are saved and I plan on being one of them.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Fourth of July!
I am going to spend it at the beach!
cancerfree2b 