Monday, March 17, 2014

Five months later

It has been about five months since my last treatment. Praise God I am alive and kickin’. The long road to recovery continues to teach me lessons. Patience, perseverance and gratitude are the main themes. I want to be as strong and healthy as I was before the treatment. That may or may not happen. Six months of treatment will probably take more than six months of recovery. The massive amount of abuse my body endured will take time to heal. Some of the after effects may linger for a long time. The neuropathy, the fatigue, and the missing parts still hinder my performance.
Sometimes I get tired of being tired and pissed off at being in pain. The solutions offered by medical science have crummy side effects. Chemical pain management makes my mind too slow to fly and ride motorcycles. Diet and exercise are the solutions that work. They take time. Rest is part of the recovery process. I have to remind myself that I am not a lazy bum but a recovering cancer survivor. I have been able to return to work and that is awesome. I have to closely monitor my fatigue level to insure I provide a safe and conducive learning environment and that I do not hinder the healing process.
I want to return to full time work but I am approaching it with caution, and without a medical certificate it is not really feasible. The FAA is moving at the speed of government. AOPA and I continue to try to track and expedite my medical. I have not started riding my motorcycle yet, so motorcycle safety is not an option. I do not think I could handle the hours or the physical demands anyway. Teaching college for Embry-Riddle is an option but the courses I am cleared for are not on the schedule.
When I count my blessings it puts it in perspective. I am alive. I have no evidence of disease. My wife is not pushing me around in a wheelchair anymore. I am not 127 pounds and puking my guts out. I am grateful they did not have to cut out more parts. Some of my cancer comrades at UNC lost parts of their jaw, their voice box, and parts of their face. Some of them lost the battle. My friends and family continue to shower me with love and support. I am one of the luckiest people on the planet.

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