Slow going, but progress

Today I got my treatment start date of July 2nd and a family member tapped all of her resources to find me an affordable/doable place to stay in Richmond - I am so grateful. Even though the place to stay isn’t close to the hospital, I think that I can manage the drive. Hopefully treatment times will be during non rush-hour times each day.

The waiting and not knowing when I could start my treatments and where I would stay had started stressing me out pushing me to a boiling point. The pressures of life are hard on everyone but I seem to be a particularly sensitive person - affected by the ups and downs and dramas, politics, the horrors in the news, and noise etc. Most days I feel like I am in a kind of war zone just trying to go about my business trying to survive. I sometimes feel like I got off on the wrong planet or at the wrong parallel universe or something. It makes things really hard for me and really hard for the people that love me.

So, with the good news of a start date, a schedule, and a place to stay I am feeling a little more grounded, there is a plan now. The anxiety about it all is a lot less. I can again let the hope flood through me as much as possible.

I am going to have to give a lot of thought as to what I am going to bring with me and how I am going to keep myself busy during the down times. What hobbies do I have that are portable? What kinds of activities are near where I am staying? (I don’t have to address yet) I will really need to keep myself mentally busy and physically active not only to maximize the benefits of treatment but to ensure I stay sane and feel some kind of normal. It will be a long time for me to be away from my home, my family and my friends. I am not sure how often I will get to see my husband or for how long. It will take some meticulous planning when it comes to other medical needs and appointments, medication refills, non-treatment related bloodwork etc.

Not knowing the details of where I will be staying, it is hard to know what I will need to pack. Will I need to pack sheets, pillows and towels? Dishes? Will I need my heating pad? Will there be air conditioning? Will I need fans? Will I need furniture? There is still so much I do not know even about my lodging situation but I am really trying to take it all in stride.