Now,
I’m one month post treatments. I wish I
could say that I’m back to normal and my life has returned to previous activity
levels; it has not. Honestly, I know
that I’m being overly optimistic and unreasonable in the expectation that
things should be back to “normal”. I’ve
done some reading this week about what to expect post treatments. It can take two to three months to get back
to normal (whatever “normal” may be), or, one will never return to previous
activity levels. I need to be prepared
to adjust to what may be my new normal.
That’s
difficult for me to accept. I’m
borderline obsessive when it comes to activity levels. I NEED to be doing things; projects, school,
adventures, etc. I find that I’m able to
engage in projects and/or activities for 1-2 hours and then it’s time to
rest. And I do find myself taking naps
on a regular basis. Yesterday, I got
dressed to go you yoga class. I laid
down on the bed for a minute and the next thing I knew, I had slept and was too
late to make the class! Someone told me
this week that maybe I’m beginning to act like a “regular 60-year old”. Not sure how that sits with me. I do not want to be a “regular 60-year old”
as the image that conjures in my mind is very negative. Honestly, I think the image of a normal
60-year old is changing as we baby boomers achieve that milestone.
I’ve
read a couple of articles now that use the word epidemic for the incidence of
HPV positive throat cancers in men in this country and Canada. Apparently there are a lot of men being
diagnosed and treated for these cancers.
The upside is that the prognosis for cure is quite high. The downside is additional monetary burden on
the healthcare system.
Speaking
of the healthcare system; I’m compelled to comment on the developing fiasco
that is the Affordable Care Act (ACA), otherwise known as Obamacare. Here’s a very simple approach to understanding
the ACA. If there were 47 million
uninsured people in the U.S. and the goal is to get them all insured; is it not
reasonable and logical to think it’s going to cost more money? Of course it’s going to cost more. And, the additional costs are covered by a)
having more people buy insurance (such as the immortals in the age group
22-35), or b) having the government pay the costs (which means the debt and
your taxes are going up, or c) having those who already have insurance pay more
for what they were already receiving. I
do not debate that we need to provide adequate healthcare coverage to all, but
I’m not convinced the ACA is the correct answer. And, right now, I believe the President is
dismayed that his administration’s legacy is doing so poorly.
