Chronicle of a Stem Cell Transplant (and on through to the other side)

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Happy Feet, Evil Lymph Node


With all the feelin' good of the last few weeks, I decided it was time to put my Vans back into my shoe rotation because, as you can see, they are quite celebratory in appearance. About five minutes after I put them on, however, I went outside and rolled my ankle. No serious damage occurred; rather, impractical as I am, I continued to wear them because they make me happy when I look down at my feet. Simple pleasures, I tell you.

What else makes me happy? Chocolate. And what's better than chocolate? Chocolate-flavored martinis! We were able to enjoy both at Leah's long-overdue "birthday" party...(thanks, Leah!)


Enjoying a white chocolate martini (why is my forehead so big?)


I've also really been enjoying yoga - we have a great new teacher - and my stamina is better than I thought it would be after being such a couch potato during this "recuperation" period. I'm still as inflexible as ever, but some things never change. I take comfort in the fact that I still have really good balance and could likely take up the unicycle if I get bored with my other hobbies.

After yoga, I've been heading over to the local coffee shop and setting up camp to write. So far, I've surprised myself by being quite productive. In the last two weeks, I have completed an article and four rough drafts for my short story collection. Not bad for two afternoons a week. I am giving myself an early spring deadline to have the manuscript finished and ready for its first edit.

Tonight, however, I am trying not to fret, OK, spaz is more like it (does anyone even use that word anymore?) about a suspicious-feeling lymph node that I detected in my groin area this afternoon (don't ask...) Previous PET scans have indicated activity in this area, but I have never been able to feel any nodes. I am hoping that because I have recently begun exercising more that it is possible to have lymph node inflammation in this area that is not directly caused by the Hodgkin's.

I have fired off an email to my oncologist who is not likely to recommend a scan, but I am increasingly sensing that I should get one anyway. This means going down to Seattle next week for a private scan, as the ONE machine here has a two month wait time and I can't get in until the 22nd of December. However, if I did wait for that one, I could wear antlers to be festive.