Saturday
was my niece’s wedding! It was a big
fancy affair in Boston. The weather was
perfect and the bride and groom were very happy. My brother (father of the bride) spent the
whole last year trying to convince Erin to go to Las Vegas and elope and came
up with a cheaper alternative to all of her wedding ideas. That was all to no
avail as the wedding was in a beautiful location right on the Boston Harbor with
all the accoutrements.
Everything
was excellent – the company, food and entertainment. A good time was had by all.
When
I started going to Dana Farber for my cancer care in January, I said to myself that
if they said I needed surgery, I would have it because the people I have spoken
with who are carcinoid patients from Dana Farber are not always recommended for
surgery, as they are at some other places.
When they did recommend me for surgery last April, I said that I would
like to hold off on that until after my niece’s wedding in August. Both Drs. Chan and Clancy thought that I
should do it sooner. I needed to get
myself comfortable with the concept of surgery and I wanted to be in good
condition for Erin’s wedding so that I did not take any undue attention away
from the bride by being sick Aunt Beth.
I also did not want to have surgery in the summer when a lot of medical
personnel are new in their roles and/or on vacation. Since I am asymptomatic, I figured it would
be ok. So far so good. Today I came back to work and one of my
coworkers asked me what I will be doing now that the wedding is over and I said
focusing on my upcoming surgery – not quite as fun!
At
the wedding, several people came up to me and started asking questions about my
cancer. These were people I did not know
or knew only as acquaintances. I was not
really in the mood to talk about my cancer at the wedding. I deferred the cancer talk and changed the
subject. Since I have a small family,
they must have figured that I was the Aunt with cancer. Ugh…
So,
while Erin and John are honeymooning in Europe, I will start thinking about
listening to those calming meditations about reframing my thoughts to a more
positive place and positioning myself for surgical success. My pre-op appointment is on September 6th
so that’s my next engagement before the surgery. Here’s to keeping myself calm and serene in
the upcoming weeks.
I think sometimes people ask about cancer because they don't know what else to discuss. I always try to steer people in the direction of how I am living...not with cancer, just living.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it works. Sometimes I get an earful about going to a random clinic in South America where all cancers are cured... :)
You're right but sometimes I just don't want to discuss the cancer or the random, strange cures!
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