Third week of treatment has now ended. A number of things struck me over the course of the week.
On the medical front. Side effects of the treatment are beginning to accumulate. The effects of the imunotherapy are well within the manageable range however unsightly they may be. They are unlikely to increase significantly beyond what they now are. The effects of radiotherapy are, as predicted, beginning to accumulate. This should continue increasing for the full seven weeks of treatment and not begin to taper off until two weeks after the end of treatment. What I find interesting is the coming and going of the effects in a seemingly haphazard fashion. You pretty much take things like tasting, salivating, swallowing, etc for granted until radiation starts disrupting them.
On the interpersonal front. Beverly has been remarkably supportive while still taking care of herself. Neighbors have also been offering help when and if needed, I'm greatly impressed with the personnel at the UW Carbone Cancer Center. Everyone I encounter at all levels is caring and considerate even though you may never have seen them before and may not see them again. I have probably never been compared to an aging Southern belle but I can't help but think like Blanch DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire when she says, "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers."
On the emotional/psychological front. Various people confronted with a life threatening illness have commented on how it has changed their perspective on life. I am finding something related but not quite the same. Over the last twelve to fifteen years, if not longer, my mindfulness practice and my pursuit of a Buddhist path has lead me to where I am. My current health circumstance has not revealed anything significantly new to me. It has, rather, made the place where my path has lead me much more real, concrete and vivid. Much of my life has centered around acquiring information, analyzing, problem solving, etc. Looking back two kinds of things stand out and seem of significance. Connections with other people and other sentient beings, whether a close and ongoing relation or just a passing contact with somebody where there was a felt connection. The other thing is the appreciation of beauty, whether in the context of art, nature or just a passing glimpse of beauty in some everyday thing.
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