Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Back in the Saddle

Nothing like a little positive reinforcement to make you "get back in the saddle." I admit it. I have been avoiding this blog, mainly because I have been down in the dumps and didn't want to inflict my mindset on anyone else. Then I got an upper respiratory crud with fever which is going around, and that legitimately curtailed my activities. I actually stayed in bed for 5 days, which is some kind of record for my adulthood.



But, about that positive reinforcement.....this morning I idly checked my last blog entry. Who knows why? And there were two comments, from Michelle and Debbie, which kicked my rear end (in a good way) and made me want to get back to this blog. I know that people read this thing, but getting a written response is like putting fertilizer on a garden.



A quick update on my ideas about reconstructive surgery: I don't have any. What I mean is that I have not found any enthusiasm for researching the options, etc. Thinking about doing all the surgery and recovery makes me tired. Plus, I have concluded that I just don't care that much about having "real" breasts. First of all, they wouldn't be real....not really real. So what's the point? Going flatchested when I exercise works just fine for me, and in fact is pretty darned comfortable. So, there will be no surgical procedure for this post-mastectomy body.



Tomorrow I have an appointment with a local Naturopathic physician to talk about my general health, but specifically to discuss ways to enhance my health, vis-a-vis cancer recurrence. I expect to hear about dietary choices and supplements, along with suggestions for lifestyle changes. I have heard this doctor speak on several occasions, and I have been impressed with how she approaches healthcare holistically, looking at the body as a single unit, rather than as various parts that get treated piecemeal. I do not intend to drop my traditional practitioners, but I am hoping to achieve a productive synergy by looping in some less traditional methods of treatment.

I want to thank Debbie and Michelle again for having given me THEIR thoughts about MY thoughts. I found their words to be encouraging and hopeful. In fact, I believe I could feel a change in my psyche when I read them, as if endorphins had been released in my system. Words are powerful, dynamic, and can be restorative, as they were in this case.