One positive thought

It is Wednesday night. It is below 50 degrees Fahrenheit outside. I am finally home after being away for 12 hours and I am tired.

I am reacting badly to the cold. My fingers feel the neuropathy as much as ever. I have been trying to cut back on the shingles pain medication to one a day and right now, that seems like a mistake. My digestive system is a little off. We are experimenting with the "bile salts," which is actually called Cholestyramine. We have to try to take it well away from when I take supplements and vitamins so that the medicine does not bind to the supplements and reduce their effectiveness.

You would think that all this would have me down. Only partly because this past Saturday, I attended a conference on the newest possible treatment for cancer - immunotherapy. This surely is the solution to not ever having chemotherapy, right? I may even qualify for a trial of an immunotherapy treatment for those that have had colorectal cancer (that's me) and have a serious risk of recurrence. (I will keep you posted on this.)

Well, not so fast, It seems immunotherapy tends to be for those with not many alternatives and.......at this point in its development, it is at best 20% effective and may be as low as 5% effective.

Of course, all of the above is bound to get you down.

My sister, Cindy, gets down .............she uses it for quilts. She mentioned the idea of a "Positive Quilt," in which quilters each make a square with a positive thought and all the squares are sown together to make the "Positive Quilt" to help those with illness.

I have a positive thought. I am going away for 4 days to take it easy. It has been a busy time and I am very much looking forward to a rest.

And so, I am far from down and in fact, I am looking forward to a warm soak and an early sleep. What is more, I understand that the temperature will rise 10 degrees over night and so, tennis is in the cards before I leave.

Life is ultimately good. I may even be able to wear the red hat that I was given this week.