Silver Surfers is an expression we read once in a newspaper article about retired people who are always traveling around, especially when everyone else is working or in school. We liked that phrase and have referred to ourselves and others like us as Silver Surfers ever since. Today we will join some other Solivita Silver Surfers!
This afternoon we are taking our first day trip with the Solivita Travel Club, of which we are members in good standing. They do periodic monthly day trips to interesting places in Florida. They also do lots of cruises, land tours all around the world, and overnight trips around the country. Today we are boarding a bus at 12:15 to travel to the Tampa area to visit historic Ybor City. We will visit a museum, take a walking tour, and have dinner at the oldest restaurant in Florida with live entertainment. It should be a great day. Of course, I will post some pictures tomorrow with more details!
I wrote yesterday that my hand was a mess when I unwrapped it. It looked like it had swallowed a balloon! Instead of trying to rewrap it, I put my compression sleeve and new compression glove on to wear to the therapy session. She was unimpressed with my glove. She did not think it was tight enough. It was my second try because the first one was so tight and scratchy I refused to take it. This new one fits better, is from a different company, and has softer material. I actually like it a lot. Anyway, my hand did look horrible. She told me that my treatment plan was written for 8 weeks, so even though yesterday was going to be my last day because she had been hoping 10 sessions would be enough, we can actually extend it to 8 weeks. I had mixed feelings because I was excited to be finished today, and I even had a nice arrangement from Edible Arrangements with a lovely Thank You card scheduled to arrive later in the day for her. Oh, well...she did love the fruit and called me on the phone later to thank me and say how surprised she was!
She gave me a thorough manual lymph drainage and made a bit of progress on the hand. She also decided to wrap me herself and put DOUBLE wrappings on the hand with extra compression. I'm even less able to use the hand than usual. I'm supposed to keep it on until Sunday, if I can stand it. Now I have two appointments for next week (Tu and Thur) and for the week after (Mon and Tu). We are leaving for an 8 day trip to MD and NJ for the wedding showers on Wednesday, June 29, so I won't be able to resume my therapy until we get back from that and the wedding in Seattle. July 11 would be the next possible time to see her. OY! That's nearly 2 weeks on my own. She is going to see how I do in the next two weeks because maybe she will decide I'm done then.
I must admit that I fell into a bit of a pity party for myself yesterday. I whined in her office about how much I hate this: the wrapping, the manual drainage, the time it takes to do it all, everything. She said I could cry for five minutes, but then I needed to suck it up and learn to deal with it. It's not going away, and it's my new life. Of course she's right, but I wasn't done feeling sorry for myself. I called Mark on the way home to whine, but he was shopping and unable to talk. So I called Evey because I knew she was not at work. She was great! She totally let me vent and whine and nearly break down into tears. I tried really hard not to cry because my left eye is already still blurry from the floaters and surgery. I didn't need my one good eye to get blurry from tearing up! LOL She even said, "Are you sure you should be driving with only one eye and one arm?" Oh, she's a funny one! By the time I got done talking with her, I definitely felt better. Thanks, Evey, for letting me vent on you. Love you, sweetie!
The rest of the day was great, filled with errands with Mark. After lunch at Subway, we went to Kay Jewelers. I bought an 18 inch white gold chain to replace the 24 inch platinum chain on my antique diamond necklace that my mother had made for me with diamonds from her mother's bracelet. It's a spectacularly beautiful, delicate, one-of-a-kind piece. OK, it's really two-of-a-kind because my mother made one for me and one for my sister Flyn, but she had to sell hers nearly 30 years ago. Evey is going to wear this necklace at the wedding as her "something borrowed." We also are having Mark's wedding ring sized up. His knuckle is too big to get the ring on or off anymore. I bought this for him as an early anniversary present. Happy Anniversary, Mark!
Next we bought some Disney things to put in the goody bags for the MD shower. After that it was time for the free wine dinner at the Lakeside restaurant and the movie Country Strong with Tim McGraw and Gwyneth Paltrow. We were excited about the movie but left feeling somewhat unimpressed. Oh, well, it was still a great night out.
When we got home, I got a text from Evey's future mother-in-law, Leslie. She had just received her wedding invitation, as I had I. She loved it and was letting us know that she thought it was beautiful. I had helped Evey pick it out and plan the wording back in March on her visit here, but I was still surprised and amazed by how great they turned out. Evey mailed the two moms their invitations a few days early, but the rest will be going out very soon. I think everyone who receives one will also think it is beautiful.
Look for pictures of Ybor City tomorrow! Have a great day.
I hope that you have a great time today at Ybor City. I am glad you are talking about how you are feeling about your lymphedema. That has to be really hard to get used to after all that you've been through with cancer treatment. I am still hoping that things will stabilize for you with your lymphedema and you will see some improvement. I am thinking of you.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Rhonda. I think a pity party through this is perfectly in order and called for. While I couldn't say that about everyone, I say that to you because during the time I've gotten to know you as we've battled this beast, I've seen how resilient you are. You will always bounce back. That is just who you are. That is one of the things I admire about you (and Rhonda). This just seems to much for anyone to deal with after everything else but even though you have shared with me that your mood isn't as it always is here on the blog, I see nothing but the "best" Becky coming back to her life as it is now and making the most of it. That's a beautiful thing. I love your daughters support of you and her humor with you on the phone. Hugs Becky!
ReplyDeleteJuanita