2022 was a good year and I was in no particular hurry to see it end. I've hit four years of being NED/NEAD (no evidence of disease/active disease for you lucky non cancer muggles) and got my two tattoos. My family took two trips within the state, one to Singer Island and one to Disney and we just booked a trip out of the country for this summer for a few weeks. Both kids are driving my old car all over the place as well. It was a good year but not without some bumps.
In November, I was bit multiple times but a mutant spider while I was walking my pup. I thought nothing of it as it looked like the usual noseeum or mosquito bites, five to be exact, on my forearm. Later that night, they were bright red and when I woke up the next day, purple was a better description, with heat and they morphed into one...and kept spreading. According to the emergency physician, it became infected rapidly and I had and allergic reaction. Once medication was started, I very quickly improved but developed optical neuritis, which stopped soon after completing antibiotics.
Two weeks ago, my oldest woke on a Saturday complaining of headache, sore throat and a cough. He also had a fever and tested negative for Covid twice, as well as flu and strep. Saturday night had the fever spike and break, and Sunday found him feeling better, just in time for midterms. Then two mornings later, wham, double eye infection but all else was good with him. As he was on the mend, the other one came down with different symptoms, including loss of voice. Again, negative for everything, lots of rest seemed to get him back to normal. The husband was next on the list for this bizarre malady, but he got hit particularly hard with this man-flu. Horrible cough, congestion and headaches so off he went to the local ER center. Fortunately, he got meds and slept it off, and continues to sleep it off and improve. Wanna guess how I'm feeling? Yep, I got hit with the crud around 9pm last night!! None of us have Covid, we are all vaccinated and boosted, kids wear masks in school, and I wear mine any place I go indoors. Not sure how we all got this, but I am relieved to see the guys all doing better.
As we enter into 2023, I have not made any resolutions. I don't believe in New Year's Resolutions. We have to power to change aspects of our lives for the better at any point in time. We don't need to start new things based on a date or time. I find myself to be always a work in progress. I adjust my diet and exercise plans as I bumble through life, based on what I find works for me or what new research comes out. One thing for sure is that I do exercise daily, no exceptions. I do my best not to let life's turbulent adventures sabotage my health or well-being. I have made me more of a priority.I shall leave y'all with a little nugget of advice or wisdom, based on my own experience, and it is nothing new. It's January, make your medical appointments, all of them - eyes, teeth, gut, butt, boobs, bones, etc. For real. Medical tests are unnerving, especially after cancer but I don't put mine off. You shouldn't either. Advocate for yourself. If your results are ambiguous, don't stop until you feel your questions are all answered, and you have definitive information. If something feels off, get checked, new more, new lump/bump/dimple? Toothache, headache? Go. Each of these doctors has the ability to spot something in its early stages, giving much better outcomes. I am grateful my cancer was caught as early as it was and my prognosis continues to be bright...keep moving forward :)
