Quick Post

The only thing more heart wrenching, energy demanding, and all-around exhausting than helping your ailing loved one get better after major surgery is being the one who has undergone major surgery. As a good friend, who is both a nurse and a former major-surgery patient herself, told us--after surgery you are caught inside a condition of chronic pain on the one hand, which is exhausting and depressing to your body and mind, and narcotic pain medications on the other, which are exhausting and depressing to your body and mind. It takes enormous vigilance and effort to crawl away from that situation and into full healing. Nevertheless, the Jen we all know and love has not gone anywhere (she just sleeps more). Her effort is apparent, her mind is strong, and her willpower inspiring. Her pain is receding, even if ever so incrementally, and her appetite--just as slow, but sure--is growing.

Jen asked me to issue a strong correction of a previous post which found her wistful, perhaps, about the warm halls of the 7th floor of the Providence Cancer Center. She misses "nothing" about the hospital, she told me, and least of all having to pass by the many rooms of her fellow patients who are undergoing more severe treatments than she had to experience. Her heart goes out to all of them, and to all victims of cancer.

So many, many thank-yous are in order, and I (we, soon) will get to them all. Suffice for the moment to say, however, that together you all have made a profound impact on Jen's healing process so far. Feel good! She will too, soon enough, thanks to you.

Yesterday: Jenny enjoys a tromp through a puddle outside the offices of the fabulous Dr. Dave--of whom you shall all hear a great deal more.

Yesterday after a rare sit-down (thanks, Courtney!) shower: A beauty, wearing her beautiful new semicolon pendant.