Combo post warning. I haven't posted a health update in a long time so here we go (it's a short one). I am doing well.
Symptoms (overall not that bad):
Fatigue
Skin issues
stomach on occasion
Current treatments
My monthly shot of Lanreotide
diet, exercise, meditation, intermittent fasting, walking, writing, therapy, etc
Upcoming stuff
Next CT scan is on 3/18. Hopefully, I stay stable as I have been and get another three months until the next scan. There is a risk of growth or spread and we will then have to discuss my next surgery (pancreas and spleen). It will happen but I am hoping it happens a long time from now!
Ok, time for the better part of the post. The interesting thing about my world right now is that it has been condensed into three-month chunks. I have been going in for scans almost every three months. For the last two, I've gone in, been scanned, and been stable and my doc has told me to come back in three months. He's also told me that surgery is in my future, but there is nothing telling him it has to happen immediately. So I get another three months.
I call these three-month periods my blips. The way I explain it to people is that it's like a weather forecast in southern California. For the next three months, it will be sunny and low 70s. The fourth month has overcast days and no understanding of what the weather will be. That's my analogy (or metaphor?). Does it work for me? Yes. Does it work for others? Ask them!
So living life in three-month chunks is interesting. The first thing you have to do is not worry about month four. The goal is to live the shit out of the next three. Travel, engage your brain, do new things, meet new people, etc. In my three-month blip periods I volunteer a lot, look for work, reach out to people I find interesting, get annoying shit out of the way (house maintenance), etc. I do all these things because I can and who knows what month four will hold.
The biggest thing I need to learn how to do in my blips is to say no. I am so happy that I am doing so well that I want to get involved in everything and not just take any time to do nothing. I need to work on that. Doing nothing is important!
Anyway, I just wanted to share my blips and how I think about them. I'll share more on other stuff soon.