In the East Setauket facility where I received my chemo treatments, there were a few different-size room configurations. The rooms ranged from 3 to 4 chemo set ups to 7 set ups. Some rooms had TVs, while others didn’t. I think I surprised myself by eventually settling in at the room with the most other patients and no TV. It was the best choice I could have made. We very much reinforced one another. Once chemo was completed, I signed up for our community’s Facebook page. I try to post upbeat material there.
Despite the side effects and tiredness I felt due to chemo treatments, I really tried to stay “happy.” How did I pull this off? First, I started going to Thursday night meditation classes with my daughter Jennifer. As a cynic, I was astonished by how good the classes made feel. I got to relax during the class, I learned very useful breathing methods, and I even acquired meditation techniques that enabled me to be calmer in stressful times.
Second, I decided to go back to the gym twice a week. I could do almost nothing because I was weak and tired. BUT, wow did I feel great after going. It showed me that l was making progress and that boosted me quite a bit psychologically. Never did 1-pound weights achieve so much. And while at the gym, I interacted with other members of my community – gym members who exercised when I did.
Third, although I could not teach my classes while on chemo, due to the side effects, there were other brain-related activities that I could do. I was motivated to write regular posts for my two blogs. I created exams for the