That's the Stuff!

That's the stuff is a slang term which lately seems to have been replaced by "that's the s*#t". I never cared much for this vulgarization of pleasant things. It can be used to refer to a great meal (eew!), a beer, great sex, or what ever seems to float your boat at the time. I am not apt to use the term, however, I recently had my own experience, where it seems appropriate (literally!)

Last week I got a stomach bug. Nothing big, just the run of the mill bug that most of us have experienced from time to time. It came with the cramping, aching and fever and of course diarrhea that such bugs carry. I was completely immersed in being sick for a few days, when it hit me, I hadn't once thought of cancer in that time. Odd that illness can take your mind off of well....illness, but it can. It actually became a welcome relief. No, I can't say that I was actually enjoying getting up every 45 minutes or so to run to the bathroom, but it was a break from my past nine months where everything out of the ordinary must in some way be related to cancer. And for the most part it is because almost everything is. I still suffer from exhaustion, a common side effect of chemo and radiation. The swelling and inflammation which is a side effect related to having my lymph nodes removed and radiated. Lack of appetite, etc. Almost everyday brings with it some cancer related gift.

In survival and recovery it is important to move beyond the illness. Our thoughts must be aligned with health and wellness in order to bring about the desired result. So this little bug brought with it a gift. I got to be a normal person for a week! No cancer, just frequent trips to the restroom. What a great trade off. Yes my butt hurt, but nothing like surgery. I was whiney and week and wanted to be waited on, but never once thought of my partner Ken as my caretaker. He was once again just my partner having to put up with me acting like a baby (yes, I am a typical guy when I get sick. I want my mommy, a nurse and maybe a hand full of old movies thrown in). There was no education I had to involve myself in. I already knew how to handle this. Plenty of rest, fluids and little food. Of course Ken kept telling me that I brought this on myself by not washing my vegetables properly, but I just tuned him out and was content with my illness. By the time the thing had run it's course a week had flown by. A week of no cancer. Just being a typical guy! Now if that isn't the shit, I don't know what is!