Take a stroll with me along Navarre Beach late on a January afternoon when the temperature is near 70 degrees. That’s what it was like yesterday before a howling north wind blew the warm temps away last night, and I woke up to 43 degrees that felt like 35. And you folks in Oklahoma and Tennessee think your weather changes fast!
I am at the end of my third cycle of chemo, and this one was rougher than the others. I feel weak and shaky pretty much all of the time, but this go-round brought lingering headaches and nausea, as well as other unmentionable side effects. Still, I feel fortunate that it isn’t worse than it is. I’ve had blood work done, but my doctor has been out due to the birth of a new baby, so until he reviews the results, they won’t be posted to the online patient portal. If I get a notification that new results are there, I’ll review them eagerly and let you know what they say, but for now, I won’t see my oncologist until next Friday, 5 February.
As of tomorrow, I am in the seven-day period of reprieve from chemo, something that brings me a measure of mental comfort. Since I was feeling better, I decided to take the two-mile walk to John’s house for exercise yesterday morning, which is very relaxing. The highway that runs by my townhouse subdivision is lined along the north side with a multi-use path that extends several miles both east and west from my subdivision entrance. It offers a very nice walk or bike ride along a path bordered by stretches of dense shrubbery along with palms, bamboo, Magnolia, pine, and cypress trees. There are at least two wooden footbridges that cross small creeks that run from East Bay between my house and John’s. Exercise is so important but definitely a challenge when I don’t have the energy for it so much of the time.
The impromptu visit to the beach was awe-inspiring, as always. Where we’re located along the Gulf Coast, we don’t generally see huge waves except during a hurricane, but it was definitely breezy yesterday, and that stirred up some impressive whitecaps. It was so warm that I left my shoes in the truck and walked along the warm panels of the boardwalk towards the sound of the crashing waves. No matter how many times I see it, I am struck by the vastness and beauty of the waters of the Gulf. The water was especially clear yesterday as the waves broke in the surf several yards out and the front edge swept up on the beach, depositing tiny shells that rolled and swirled in the sand. I rolled up the legs of my jeans so I could walk a little way on the wet sand.
Here are a few pictures for you from the visit…
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