When I got back home, I was incredibly weak and emaciated. And though I would soon embark on a chemotherapy regimen, I had to get much stronger first.
Again, I had no idea about the intensity of the upcoming chemotherapy, its possible side effects, and its impact on my overall energy level. For someone who was well educated and was supposed to be so smart, I sure was oblivious about to many issues having to do with my own health.
I think that’s true of a lot of us. We face things when they happen, not before then. That’s not a particularly good approach. That is how I acted when I learned that I was a diabetic. Over time, I found out all the right things to do, through a lot of trial and error.
I now had to not just get stronger, but also begin to adjust to my new-post surgery life. This meant changing my diet, eating in smaller portions, adapting to a revamped medication schedule, finding out what types of exercise were best, adjusting my teaching style, and so on. For example, I found that I needed to sit rather than stand much more often.
For the first couple of weeks, I received the services of an in-home nurse and an-home physical therapist. They were very nice and quite helpful. I got tips on food/diet and eating properly. I learned some simple exercises to help stretch me out. Bending over was a chore. As was doing toe touches.