An Update - More Chemo, Less Weight
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Ok, please accept my apologies - no posting for a full month! Shame! I feel bad about that. But to start, let me put a positive spin on this: I came through session #1 okay, a six-week drill of radiation and chemo that really did a lot, and then a nice 4 week break from the discipline of the treatments. We've started round #2, and I can share details.
The first round managed to get me slowed down dramatically - six weeks of the combination of the treatments really had results, though. No detected cancer from MRI three weeks later - that's a fantastic result! The only downside is I have about 10 ml of fluid on the brain now, so I need to take it easy and take more meds (more meds? really?) The chemo dosages go for 5 days, then I get a 23 day break. At the end of 28 days total, we're back to the start of the cycle and we do it again.
Lately, I can do a lot of things I haven't been able to do, like housework. I can pretty-well keep the kitchen clean, prepare simple meals, keep up with the laundry with the kids help. I can't plan anything (too easily confused) and shouldn't teach any Sunday school (get confused and say wrongs things, that's a big no-no.) So I have started working on my dissertation and that seems to be progressing well. I didn't get anything done during the treatment, but as the recovery period started I was able to start ready & writing a bit more. Looks like my topic & outlined work will be found to be okay & will be approved this week. The all I need to do is actually write the darn thing. No problem.
My old alma mater for my previous theology was the University of Cambridge. I was a part of Wesley House, a grand collection of 20-30 Methodist students from around the world. Sadly, Wesley House is closing as the British Methodist Connexion strives to save money. I had sent the college I am now associated with (Northwestern) my transcripts just in time, it looks like.
My dissertation will be on how to understand and interpret the parables. Believe it or not, there have to be limits on what we can & cannot say about a parable. Fortunately there are many, many translations and I will harvest many of them. Back at Cambridge, a professor (who shall remain nameless) announced after our final lecture the correct method for ensuring a theology paper was scanned, approved, and graded highly. His proposed method: One quote or citation in English, Greek, Hebrew, and any other convenient language on each sheet of paper. I did my last four papers using this method, and received the highest score on each one. Guess what method I'll be using for my doctoral dissertation? Yep, you got it. The really great part is that there are so many other languages to dip into for commentaries on parables. I have some German, Spanish, Korean, and Latin stacked-up already (lots of Latin.)
I am mostly good in the morning, tolerable till 2PM, snoring till 5-6PM, good at simple cooking and kitchen clean-up, and off to bed by 10pm. Bedtime is also the start of the oral anti-cancer chemotherapy, all oral. The item I get to take is amazingly expensive, all paid by your tax dollar, so let me say this: Thank you! Our government is spending a lot of $$ to keep me alive, more than I've ever spent. Of course, they'll get to keep my retirement checks even if we have the best success, so I can also look at this as a great way for the government to save a few dollars, too. :-)
Okay, took an hour to write, time to take a break.