Cha Cha Cha Chia

Last day of work, goodbye beautiful library!

It is funny to stare into mirrors. Sometimes I feel like I'm a science experiment. I've watched my hair sprouting out of my head and appreciated how resilient my body is.  It is sort of like watching a chia seed pet growing. Presently I see a shade of hair across my head more than the glaring baldness I saw before... But boy will it take a while to grow out. Decided to pop headbands on top of my head coverings lately, something different. Eyelashes are starting to grow back, slowly... eyebrows are starting to come back.

Was quite distracted this past week wrapping up work and making sure when I walked out of school on Friday I felt closure and success. Happy to be done. Hard to say good bye to everyone/everything. Kiddo had a hard time as well and began questioning why we were moving back and not staying for at least one more year. Sigh... Doing our best for him.

I've been dealing with a few too many distractions lately. Feeling ok overall but really working to focus on the positive and redirect negative thoughts and breathe, breathe, breathe.

Beach trip with kiddo to support husband's dragon boating endeavour.

In less than two weeks we move back to Oregon. Things are going quickly by... Had met up with some wonderful, special people to say goodbye... enjoying time with each one...

Pains have eased up. I quit the pain medication and am taking an anti-inflammatory that I don't plan to take for too long.  We're dealing with many bits and pieces of leaving Hong Kong presently. Paperwork and such. Happy my husband has headed out for another trip to the Philippines, his last dash to get a little more scuba diving in... the kiddo and I are enjoying time together...

Close to the end of work...

Staying focused on the positive. Clear scan, visualizing the results... Tried out a different qigong instructor and it was ok... looking forward to trying out a different instructor in the US... Shall see. Will miss my qigong instructor so much, she's been such a supportive person. We talked about how when I go to do the PET scan this coming Monday I can do qigong exercises... plus I plan to listen to a session of yoga nidra....

Grateful some friends at home are helping my parents with the move/transition of furniture and storage to our home... Exciting that some things will be in our home when we get back. Some of our belongings aren't going to arrive in Oregon for  two months... will be little treats coming home...

 Thanks as always for journeying with me... appreciating being done with work and focusing on enjoying this huge transition.

Newest picture... such a hot day but got thru the day walking walking walking.

Finding stamina increasing.

Careful day by day even on down days

These days have been really rough. More than other chemo reactions, I think.

Monday- stomach flu plus chemo side effects left me almost fainting in bathroom trying to take a shower, etc. Barely ate anything.

Tuesday- pushed myself to go into work thinking I'd get thru like other days. Unfortunately, I got shakey and weak and couldn't even figure out how to get myself home until my kind principal sorted me out, walked me to get a taxi and sent me home. Barely ate anything. Tried to do qigong in evening but unfortunately I didn't have energy, class changed to Friday thanks to patient teacher...

Wednesday- felt shakey, didn't want to take the risk. At mid-day I got a call... received the gift of two more recovery days. After a little protesting I thanked my wonderful admin and then thanked my lucky stars. Still can't eat much, got some soup down.

Thursday- FINALLY I had ability to eat. Took two hours to eat breakfast but ate lunch a tiny bit speedier and my husband cheered for me at dinner when I ate my rice and veggies. Feeling weak still but just grateful for healing time.


Missing work and kids. Didn't expect to miss a whole week of work. Oh well. Last chemo, being patient with myself. Doing deep breathing. Now that I'm not as shakey, looking forward to doing qigong exercises again.


From my beautiful good friend who is recovering from a serious operation and has a clean bill of health, thank god:

If this experience has taught me anything it is that we are all in this life together...through the good times and bad. The only thing that makes it bearable is the love from family and friends. The Brazilians have a word called 'saldade' that does not translate to English well but in essence means a sweet longing. Sometimes it is for something you know will happen someday, you just do not know when, sometimes it can mean a sweet longing for something that may never happen but you always carry it with you with such hope and longing that words cannot describe it. Sometimes it is both things together. I feel such saldade for you, a sweet longing that your health straightens out, that your energy returns and you can return to the life you had before this all began.


Thanks for journeying with me...

Getting along day by day

My qigong instructor shared a video with our class many weeks ago. I finally made time to watch it, under 30 minutes and well worth the watch, fascinating. It was worth learning about the meridian lines, the healthy practice this incredibly knowledgeable person does every day with acupressure, breathing, and a knee bending exercise... glad I watched.

Hair hair hair. I'm back at that stage that I remember all too well from the first round of chemo: itchiness. The kind that made me think I had lice. Yuck. Poor skin cells, they're so confused. Happily growing and then hit by this medicine. It's doing what it needs to do. I WILL NOT shave it off though. Will tolerate the itchiness and hold back from scratching like a maniac. (Not hard to do, not like mosquito bites.) Sigh.

Two days later- meh. Hair is starting to fall out a bit. Will just carefully watch it...
Went to my acupunturist, been too long since I did that... Helped me a bunch. I am trying out his mix of Chinese herbal medicine in a drink form (I always drink one from him twice a day) just for this dang cough that won't let go. Today I coughed so hard it took me a while to recover. A younger student asked me why I'm coughing so much, I said "because I am..."

Decided to explore a new treatment option, a little concerned with it but keeping an open mind and have read one book and will learn more in the coming week. It is called Paida and Lajin. Shall see.

Enjoyed a Labour Day holiday, Friday, off today... rested most of the day, took a walk with friends, and rested more. Didn't feel any guilt for being chilled out... Felt like I was in deep thoughts most of the day, guess I needed a rest after work... plus I've had terrible sleep for days and days and I think I'm just darn exhausted. Probably will do a few things tomorrow though with the kiddo.

Thanks for journeying.