Saturday, October 3, 2020

57. Week 4 - part trei - Covid & Massage Therapists

I got popped for a random COVID test this week.  Oy.  I can still remember the last time I got one and how painful it was for hours and hours.

I showed up at the hospital at 8:00 and there were A HUNDRED PEOPLE standing in line without social distancing, most with their masks down below their chin.  I said, "Nope!" and sat about 100 yards away - then realized this was going to take some time, so I went and got coffee then came back, resigned to my fate.

But....I saw something wondrous.

THE MASSAGE TEAM IS BACK!  Now, this is awesome in and of itself, but Preveze is trained in lymphatic massage - so this is medically INCREDIBLY for me.  Suddenly, the prospect of someone scraping my brain cells through my nostril didn't seem like the end of the world.  (happily, they have gotten MUCH better at it and it wasn't nearly as traumatic as I was expecting)

We set up a time just after my work schedule ended and i got an awesome massage to include manual lymphatic drainage.  My arm is now half the size it was this morning and doesn't hurt nearly as bad.

Miracle of miracles.

It will take at least a week for the test results to come back, since they send them to Landstuhl in Germany for processing.  But honestly, I'm not worried.  I'm still isolated all the time - and I feel stronger and stronger every day.

(I even exceeded 8,000 steps today - so getting more and more active as the weeks continue)

One week remains of radiation and then, with any luck, I'll be leaving Kosovo.  I can honestly say that I'm so grateful for my time here.  I definitely could not have gotten through this year if I weren't sober - and dealing with things as they arose.  Kosovo has been a tremendous help for that.

Even now, when the beer garden is open on base  - it's not a temptation for me.  I'm not saying I won't have a glass of wine here and there - I very well might.  But I've conquered that particular demon  - and knowing how sugar affects cancer cells, I don't see the benefit of drinking if it's going to feed those little buggers.  I don't want to take this journey again.  



My hair is growing back!

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