Super Slacker

That's me. But trust me- it's for a good reason: there's nothing to tell! Mom is having some difficulty getting a good night's sleep, has a little anxiety she has to work through from time to time, but otherwise is doing well. The only new problem is a recurring pain she gets in her very lower back, which goes away just as quickly as it comes, and pulsates in rhthym with her heart rate. She just takes a few deep breaths and it's gone, but it's happening so frequently that it is keeping her up at night. It's no where near Lil' Lefty though, thank goodness- more in the sacrum.

Today is week 3, and her day off from chemo, which will complete the first of four cycles. She's meeting with Dr. D mid day to discuss her blood lab values, kidney function, symptoms, and the sleep issue. I generally meet my mom at all her appointments, but after I said goodnight to her, I felt the slightest itch in my throat, and today it's a full blown soar throat. Not sure if it is or isn't anything, but I'm going to play it safe and hang back in Boston till I'm sure this is nothing or something.

Thankfully, her hair hasn't started to fall out yet, so if we have to put off the ritual buzzing, it can wait a day.

One little ditty I wanted to share with everyone: I spent the weekend taking a two-day intensive course called "Care for the Caregiver."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Forgive me, I digress with laughter...

Anyway, it was a brilliant course, led by a man who works at The Benson-Henry Institiute for Mind Body Medicine (say that five times fast). If you're unfamiliar with Benson, he's worth a google! We learned a ton about the stress response, how that manifests physically, our thought process, and how we can turn it around with rational thought and make it a positive experience. Sounds crunchy, I know, but hear me out. The exact opposite of the stress response is the relaxation response, which takes practice and dedication to illicite, but can be done. Do you know the average person has the stress response 50 times a day? That's madness!

So not only did I learn to reflect on what stresses me out and understand my triggers, and therefor how to avoid them or learn from them, but I also learned that drinking in moderation is actually good for you. Since moderation for a woman in the US means 1 drink daily, and in France it means 3 drinks daily, I'm half French so I'll just take the mean, thank you very much.

Being silly (who me?), but I did learn a lot and I hope that anyone who has a few free minutes will check out the institute's link.

Will report back after Mom's appt, whether I am there or not.

Signing off, Monica Talbot McKnight, legit R.N.

PS- That's the other reason I haven't posted in a few days: I took my state board exam on Thursday, had to sweat it out until Saturday, and have been in a state of shock ever since.