This week has been hugely stressful - in the midst of Covid-19 consuming the
headlines, the borders to my doctor still closed, the new layers of snow and
ice covering everything, and a huge amount of pain and fatigue from surgery.
Yeah. It's a lot.
But today at least the ambiguity and uncertainty is starting to fade in
favor of a treatment plan. The embassy won't help me get back/forth to
Macedonia because the Macedonian government is being incredibly strict about
who they are allowing to cross, and the Kosovoan government is still
requiring 14 days of isolation every time you enter the country.
However, the American Hospital in Pristina (Kosovo) has a good reputation,
and is fit to treat breast cancer - so I have a meeting with their main
doctor on Tuesday morning to talk about a treatment plan, take a tour of the
facility, and see if I feel comfortable trusting them with my care.
If that goes well, the base commander has agreed to give me a travel pass
to/from appointments should the base go into lockdown, the housing
department has moved a full sized fridge into my room so I can make protein
shakes post-chemo, and my office now contains a six foot taped perimeter
around my desk limiting how close people can get to me when I'm at work.
All in all, we are well prepared.
Should anything go wrong, or should complications occur - I'll likely be
evacuated to Landstuhl, Germany - and I'm prepared for that - but hopefully
it's not going to be necessary.
As for my emotional health - that still goes up and down on an hourly basis
- but I'm much calmer now that we're sorting things out and figuring out the
logistics of treatment. I'm truly, truly lucky - my company, my base
commander, my boss, and the majority of my co-workers have become my new
support system - and I'm beyond grateful for every small kindness they are
showing me.
headlines, the borders to my doctor still closed, the new layers of snow and
ice covering everything, and a huge amount of pain and fatigue from surgery.
Yeah. It's a lot.
But today at least the ambiguity and uncertainty is starting to fade in
favor of a treatment plan. The embassy won't help me get back/forth to
Macedonia because the Macedonian government is being incredibly strict about
who they are allowing to cross, and the Kosovoan government is still
requiring 14 days of isolation every time you enter the country.
However, the American Hospital in Pristina (Kosovo) has a good reputation,
and is fit to treat breast cancer - so I have a meeting with their main
doctor on Tuesday morning to talk about a treatment plan, take a tour of the
facility, and see if I feel comfortable trusting them with my care.
If that goes well, the base commander has agreed to give me a travel pass
to/from appointments should the base go into lockdown, the housing
department has moved a full sized fridge into my room so I can make protein
shakes post-chemo, and my office now contains a six foot taped perimeter
around my desk limiting how close people can get to me when I'm at work.
All in all, we are well prepared.
Should anything go wrong, or should complications occur - I'll likely be
evacuated to Landstuhl, Germany - and I'm prepared for that - but hopefully
it's not going to be necessary.
As for my emotional health - that still goes up and down on an hourly basis
- but I'm much calmer now that we're sorting things out and figuring out the
logistics of treatment. I'm truly, truly lucky - my company, my base
commander, my boss, and the majority of my co-workers have become my new
support system - and I'm beyond grateful for every small kindness they are
showing me.
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