Prepared a Garden after Chemotherapy

After I had finished 12 weeks of Chemotherapy, I felt weak, could barely breathe and had little energy. I spent a few minutes each day sitting in my back yard. I started picking up the trash that had accumulated in the back yard. I found that I could do this for a couple of minutes and then had to rest. As each day passed, I started picking up sticks and then rocks that I would carry and made a large pile of rock.

A neighbor loaned me a small electric tilling machine. It was very light and nimble. I plugged it into an extension cord and started turning the soil. I had to be very careful because there was still so many rocks and sometimes it would jam in the tines. I used a hoe to turn the soil, pull out the rocks and then turn the soil. The process was work for 2-5 minutes and then rest for 3 minutes or so. Each day, I found that I felt a little stronger.

Pelvic Tilting at windmills

Dr. Ashton prescribed several positions for me to perform each day. This position pictured on the left, is called Posterior Pelvic Tilt. The requirements sound simple enough: tighten your butt, lay down flat and squeeze your abdomen so that it moves towards your spine. This was a challenge. My back didn't want to elongate and I struggled to get my head to lower to the floor. As I flattened my stomach, the pressure released a little in my neck. By the 5th repetition out of 10, my lower back started to hurt. I was told to only do each position to the point of fatigue or pain, so I moved on to the next position. I never imagined that performing such a simple task might be so difficult.

My Eyes are very blue

More than once or twice over the past month, friends have mentioned that my eyes look a much brighter shade of blue. It has made me a little self-conscious because I notice people looking at me with some degree of surprise or interest. I've been on a raw foods diet for over 6 months now, Maybe one of the side effects are deeper hued eye color? I continue to feel a little better each day, the pain is receding in my back and I feel stronger.

Poser As a Dead Bug

Physical therapy has me pretending to be a dead bug. I extend the right hand above my head and the left foot forward to strengthen the core. All of those things I learned in kindergarten coming back to me. I was also shown how to act like a cat arching my back and a cow letting my back sag. Alternating from cat to cow, cow to cat. I'm still not sure what the Fox says...

Simple way to keep healthy while fighting Cancer

I use a spray bottle filled with a preparation of white vinegar to clean cutting boards, counter tops and the juicer. I mix 1 cup vinegar with 1 cup water and pour it into a spray bottle. I find it helps to keep things clean and removes sticky residues from vegetables and fruits. I wanted a safe and easy alternative to Clorox bleach. It disinfects by killing bacteria, deodorizes, and is a great cleaning agent. The best part of all is that it is economical to use. This is a must have for anyone keeping a safe and clean environment for someone that is fighting cancer and avoiding sickness.

Juicing to Shrink a Tumor

I started writing a journal this week to record my food choices, work outs and therapy experiences. Today, I woke up and felt stronger. The tumor has receded a little bit more. My juice this morning used 2 celery stalks, 1 apple, 1 lemon, 1/3 cabbage, 3  beets, 1 tsp chia seeds, 2 oz Kombachu, 1 oz mango, and a piece of ginger and turmeric. Kombachu gives the drink a little fizz and makes it taste a little bit dangerous. I find this helps to shrink the tumor a little more.

I Added Balela to my Salads

As I've been looking for ways to eat 99% vegetarian, I found Pita Pal's organic Balela. It is a tasty gluten free Mediterranean bean salad sold at Costco. I add a tablespoon or two to my salad greens for lunch.  

½ Cup = 50 Calories, 1.5g Fat, 25mg Sodium, 10g Carbs, 4g Sugar, 2g Fiber, & 2g Protein

 

I never thought that chick peas could taste so good or that it could substitute for salad dressings. You see the problem is that most salad dressings have soy bean oil and well, I notice that my tumor will swell after eating anything with soy. I avoid anything that has estrogen mimicking properties including plastic bottles that contain drinking water.

 

Cancer and Anger

An important part of my healing is to acknowledge my anger. I have a series of disappointments and frustration to deal with each day. Sometimes it is the fact that I can't pay all of my bills, or it is a local body shop, Martin's Collision that refused to fix the front end alignment, letting me leave their shop with a tire blow out waiting to happen. I screamed at the manager in frustration. Then the tire shop, Discount Tire doesn't keep records of my tire rotations like they are supposed to. I bring it in often and all they have records of is from October when the tires were installed. IDIOTS!!

I talk to my bishop and he keeps telling me that he isn't passing judgement on my choice of treatment. He emphasizes that people are not talking about me. He goes on and on about what is NOT happening. I just feel more and more angry. He doesn't seem to realize that I didn't even think about these things that he is talking about and in my mind, he is doing all of those things. The tumor swells and burns within me. I just want to hide, the shame is so strong. He can make me angrier than anyone I know. His attempts to reassure me have the opposite effect he intends. At least, I assume... I pray to release these feelings, running and massage therapy helps. Sometimes, I feel calm until someone reminds me that PEOPLE are talking about me, that I am being judged poorly for my attempts to heal. Just need another cup, drain it to the bitter dregs.

Evaluation Time at Attensity

I'm working on my Attensity annual performance appraisal form today. For the past year and a half, I've been devoted to healing from Testicular cancer. It has been a while since I have evaluated my goals, progress, and career aspirations. The first part of the appraisal is self appraisal / employee input. I'm asked to list my goals and objectives and describe the results achieved during the current performance review period. Ok, here goes: Recover from cancer, resume full time work hours and regular office attendance. I completed 12 weeks of chemotherapy, a surgery and intensive chiropractic and massage therapy sessions. I started working 30 hours a week and working from home to conserve strength and avoid exposure to sickness.

List your goals and objectives as well as describe the results that were achieved during the current performance review period.

• Technical Writing. Create and maintain Attensity product user manuals and developer api documentation.
• Technical Editing. Review documentation for style, consistency and proper grammar usage.
• API Documentaton. Create and maintain developer facing documentation for products such as ASAS, Attensity Q REST calls.
• Madcap Flare. Develop single source documentation for print and online consumption.
• Web Editing (HTML). Edit web page source text and maintain Cascading Style Sheets (CSS).

Please describe your professional development aspirations and needs that would enhance your value and contribution to the success of Attensity.

Lead my team of technical writers to develop superior documentation, increase my use of Flare and develop my social media skills. I have explored social media tools such as HootSuite and created blogs about my personal experiences at Attensity and how to run a simple social media campaign. I have explored the strengths of Attensity Q in comparison with similar products and how it can be used. I have attended social media use webinars, researched how to use Madcap Flare and deepened my knowledge of HTML and web scripting languages such as JavaScript.