Today is bit of a challenge...

Back to work has been a breath of fresh air... I really needed the mental stimulation, and the imperative to 'be somewhere'. However, I am finding the shoulder to be a huge challenge. The pain (minimal) and discomfort (maximum) is sapping my strength, tiring me out hugely. I go home after 5 or 6 hours and need to take a nap. That nap, then, disrupts my night sleep and I wake the next morning needing more... which is then making it tough to get through the morning because of my shoulder. I have to break this cycle this weekend, somehow.

And, this morning my hayfever reared its ugly head for the first time this season. I lost my breakfast because of the post-nasal drip and gunk in my throat.

Yuck.

Back at work! Major Milestone!

As of Monday, April 21, 2008, with the agreement of my surgeon, Dr. Williams, I have returned to work on a part time basis. Part time means half days until May 1, 2008 and then we'll launch into full time, if I'm up to it.

So far, so good. I've been doing mornings only, holding the afternoons for physio and stuff... and so far there have been no major traumas. My physio actually thinks that the return to work may be helping with the shoulder, but after only three days, its pretty tough for me to see much improvement.

Today is going to be a bit of a stretch. A meeting that was scheduled for this morning got shifted to this afternoon. I didn't notice the change until I was at the office. So, it looks like I'm going to be hanging around for 6 hours instead of the half day. We'll just see how that works out...I've been here for 2 hours so far and the shoulder is being a bit difficult. I need to stand and stretch for a bit, I think. There isn't any place for me to lounge or lay down, so I may end up going back to the jeep for a little while, knock the seat back and lie down to see if that relieves the building pressure in the shoulder.

Yet another update...

I'm feeling pretty good these days... no serious side effects, no serious problems of any sort, really. Well, other than a visit to the hospital the other night 'cause my temperature spiked to 38c. All the blood tests showed that my blood counts are in the normal range; I'm able to fight whatever caused the spike without intervention. So, at 2 am they sent me home.

The only concerns that I have are weight and vanity related. Okay, and the fatigue. But I'm starting to win out over the constant tiredness. It seems to have shifted from being chemo/radiation related to being tied to my shoulder issues. Let's hope I can get that under control before the end of the month...

Weight and vanity. On the weight side, I'm now below what I weighed at my wedding... and I'm having trouble putting the weight back on. My appetite is back, although some of the taste buds in my tongue are still dormant. Savouries are an attraction, but the sweets still just don't do it for me. In conversation with one of the folks at the Cross Cancer Institute, it was pointed out that a lot of the calories that I am taking in are being used by the body to rebuild the damage caused by the radiation and chemo, therefore I shouldn't expect to see any immediate weigh gains. Dr. Williams suggested that I increase the intake of Ensures to three a day as the base, and then continue to increase my eating on top of that. Not a bad strategy...

I look in the mirror and see an emaciated old man. I don't feel that bad, but I sure don't like the way I look. I suppose that it wouldn't be nearly as traumatic if my damned beard would grow back, or my head hair would thicken up again...

During my most recent visit with Dr. Williams, earlier this week, we settled on a way to get me back to work. I expect to be able to do 2 or 3 half days a week beginning April 21st... and then transition into full time by the end of the first week in May.