rrrrrain
with rain and/or some other sort of precipitation slated to fall from the sky for most of the next three days i ventured out to borders to pick up some extra reading material. i went early in the morning, guessing there wouldn't be too many people out and about yet. i was right and felt as though i wasn't going to contract the hanta virus or any other mean-spirited contaminant that might settle into my lung or somewhere else in my body. and when i got back to the car i doused my hands with a healthy dose of antibacterial gel. perhaps i should have taken jimnerd up on his offer to rip a dispenser off the wall of the chemo room. no, not really, i am not really endorsing such childish behavior. stealing is wrong, even when it is to keep the germs away.
so. my books. i picked up three new ones. the first, "better" is the second of atul gawande's writings on doctors and hospitals and well, how to improve the care offered there. i so devoured "complications" that it made sense to pick this one up. thus far he has covered the need for diligence in order to make lasting improvements. this, folks, can apply to every day life. it is not just the medical professionals who can stand improvement in what they do. there is a chapter that describes the efforts to rid the world of polio; unlike smallpox, this disease does not always show visible signs of infection and can remain contagious for a period of time after a vaccine has been adminsitered. there has not been a case in the western world since the early 1990's and it has nearly been irradicated from the rest of the world save for a few corners of africa and india. gawande runs through the events that follow a boy's diagnosis with the disease in a rural village in southern india and how millions of children are vaccinated in just four days. all this in a region of india where some of the vaccinators lacked vehicles, many parents are illiterate and at first refused vaccination for their children, and where even the ice packs to keep the vaccines cool melted too fast and emergency ice was ordered in. when deemed necessary, humans are capable of making miracles happen. it can be incredible, frustrating, dangerous, beautiful work. stay tuned. i'll be through this one by tomorrow evening.
the next is "eat, pray, love" by elizabeth gilbert. it is her account of searching for what was missing from her life by traveling to italy, india, and indonesia. i am really looking forward to this one. i think it will hold a certain relavance in comparison to the journey i have been on for nearly six months. not to mention, mom has been on an italy kick and i an india one, so i felt it appropriate. i will most certainly join her on a trip to italy as soon as she wants to go but i think i will have a harder time convincing her of a visit to india. she turned her nose up at my curry last night.
finally, "the places in between" by rory stewart. a scot walks right across afghanistan in the winter of 2002 and lives to tell the tale. last spring/summer i was on quite a roll with books about this region of the world, most notably "three cups of tea" by greg mortenson. if you haven't read it, please do so soon. his is a story of building schools for girls in pakistan. he befriends locals, runs for his life, sees corners of the world few can even dream of, and all in the hopes of averting terrorism through education. anyway; i look forward to stewart's stories of meeting locals, soldiers, and all the beautiful, damaged, and hopeful places in between.
meanwhile, i have been up to nothing. i should take the dog for a walk before it starts raining and it would serve me well to shake out some of the cobwebs that have been forming. my hair is patchy at best - i am hiding it under a bandana. i had it buzzed off yesterday and am taking two showers a day in order to scrub at it and make it all go away. the in between is the worst part - it seems to be a theme of mine. i've also become keenly aware of just how skinny i am when my muscles go away. i don't look ill or malnourished, just thin. like i imagine delicate women hope to look. i am delicate only in that i fell prey to a monster disease. nothing else about me has ever been delicate. i want my muscles back. i want to fill out my clothes again. soon enough. soon enough. running and biking and lifting some weights. i'll be back in prime form. for now. get off my hiney and go for a walk.
so. my books. i picked up three new ones. the first, "better" is the second of atul gawande's writings on doctors and hospitals and well, how to improve the care offered there. i so devoured "complications" that it made sense to pick this one up. thus far he has covered the need for diligence in order to make lasting improvements. this, folks, can apply to every day life. it is not just the medical professionals who can stand improvement in what they do. there is a chapter that describes the efforts to rid the world of polio; unlike smallpox, this disease does not always show visible signs of infection and can remain contagious for a period of time after a vaccine has been adminsitered. there has not been a case in the western world since the early 1990's and it has nearly been irradicated from the rest of the world save for a few corners of africa and india. gawande runs through the events that follow a boy's diagnosis with the disease in a rural village in southern india and how millions of children are vaccinated in just four days. all this in a region of india where some of the vaccinators lacked vehicles, many parents are illiterate and at first refused vaccination for their children, and where even the ice packs to keep the vaccines cool melted too fast and emergency ice was ordered in. when deemed necessary, humans are capable of making miracles happen. it can be incredible, frustrating, dangerous, beautiful work. stay tuned. i'll be through this one by tomorrow evening.
the next is "eat, pray, love" by elizabeth gilbert. it is her account of searching for what was missing from her life by traveling to italy, india, and indonesia. i am really looking forward to this one. i think it will hold a certain relavance in comparison to the journey i have been on for nearly six months. not to mention, mom has been on an italy kick and i an india one, so i felt it appropriate. i will most certainly join her on a trip to italy as soon as she wants to go but i think i will have a harder time convincing her of a visit to india. she turned her nose up at my curry last night.
finally, "the places in between" by rory stewart. a scot walks right across afghanistan in the winter of 2002 and lives to tell the tale. last spring/summer i was on quite a roll with books about this region of the world, most notably "three cups of tea" by greg mortenson. if you haven't read it, please do so soon. his is a story of building schools for girls in pakistan. he befriends locals, runs for his life, sees corners of the world few can even dream of, and all in the hopes of averting terrorism through education. anyway; i look forward to stewart's stories of meeting locals, soldiers, and all the beautiful, damaged, and hopeful places in between.
meanwhile, i have been up to nothing. i should take the dog for a walk before it starts raining and it would serve me well to shake out some of the cobwebs that have been forming. my hair is patchy at best - i am hiding it under a bandana. i had it buzzed off yesterday and am taking two showers a day in order to scrub at it and make it all go away. the in between is the worst part - it seems to be a theme of mine. i've also become keenly aware of just how skinny i am when my muscles go away. i don't look ill or malnourished, just thin. like i imagine delicate women hope to look. i am delicate only in that i fell prey to a monster disease. nothing else about me has ever been delicate. i want my muscles back. i want to fill out my clothes again. soon enough. soon enough. running and biking and lifting some weights. i'll be back in prime form. for now. get off my hiney and go for a walk.
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Want you to know that I waltzed into radiation with a sticky note on my forehead spelling out "LORI" in big black letter. Rose was hysterical and Marshall kept saying, "No Loriiiii, has it come to this? Am I that bad?" LOL. I did notice that he mentioned you as "Elizabeth". Oh such fun. It was truly joyous. I highly suggest you try a post-it on your head as well. He'll know it is a conspiracy.
I am finally able to read again! I too am devouring books this weekend and found great relief from radiation swelling in my old friend Alleve. Feeling good man. I just read "Love, Medicine and Miracles" by Dr. Bernie Siegel. I got a lot from it.
Stay dry ELIZABETH. lol.