A Newtonian thank you

 

Sir Isaac Newton, the man who discovered gravity, co-discovered calculus and other things to torture high school students, once said “If I have seen further it is only by standing on the shoulders of giants.”   This quote strikes me as very relevant during my treatment.    I am going to beat this cancer.   I have no doubt of it.    I am going to beat it because of the giants who came before me - the millions of cancer survivors and victims who sacrificed so much so that countless medical professionals and scientists could learn how to fight this beast.    Millions upon millions of volunteers raising money to fund research so that I can survive.    It is hard to comprehend how much has been given and sacrificed.   But it has made a tremendous impact.   According to Cancer Research in the UK, since the 1970’s survival rates of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma have more than DOUBLED.   There is obviously still work to be done, but the sacrifice of those giants has reduced what I am going through from a death sentence to an excellent chance of survival.   To all of you, I feel that I owe my life.    There is no way that I can fully repay the debt.   Thank you.

Since coming off of the steroids on Wednesday,  I have had to deal with a few minor challenges.   Wednesday’s fatigue was combatted with a nap.   I did not feel like I needed a sleep aid that night, since there were no steroids to keep me awake.   The result was a sleepless night.   Thursday was spent lounging around the house, napping occasionally.   Thursday night I took the sleep aid, just to be sure.  The result was a sleepless night.   I went to work anyway, and actually accomplished something.  That felt good.   My sleep is back in order now, and I managed to do some minor yard work today.   And in the spirit of full disclosure and too much information, my internal plumbing has been off since chemo.   This has started to resolve itself today, and I feel much better than I have in several days.    I think that I have turned the corner on this cycle, and that I will continue to feel better daily.   My sense of taste has changed.   Most foods are bland to tasteless, except sweets which are still sweet.   This includes citrus fruits, and banana pudding that a dear friend dropped off at our house.   

Tomorrow will start a new work week, and I am looking forward to it.   My goal is to work the entire week.   It will be the first time in quite a while.