I am writing this blog while sitting with Carmella through her chemotherapy. The treatment lasts for 4 days and our hospital room essentially becomes our temporary home.
Carmella is in what our oncologist terms as maintenance cycle. The doses are milder so lesser dizzy spells or vomiting for her. She is not bed ridden as most patients in for treatment who after the first dose gets so depleted. Carmella moves about, preferring to use the bathroom rather than a bed pan. She is quite mobile, limited only by her IV line.
I stay with her the whole time she is on treatment and it tends to get uncomfortable on the 2nd day, getting quite claustrophobic. We have no internet access in our room so it adds to the helplessness. Essentially, when Carmella gets confined, I get confined, too.
But confinement can be a blessing. It is a time of pondering, of quiet reflection. Since I do not get distracted by housework, I get to notice how much my daughter has grown, how far we have gone with our journey and then document our experience hence this blog.
Here I have the chance to go over my life dreams and pray more. I get to read more of Seth Godin’s blog that I downloaded earlier for off-line reading. I also get the chance to practice my dialect by going over a Tagalog version of a book by a favorite empowerment mentor.
Due to the food errands for Carmella, I somehow become an accidental service critique of each fast food place I visit. The experience is always blog material.
Then if I get really lucky, my Obi Wan drops by and we have a feast. This cousin-mentor simply loves to eat. And then we discuss ideas which are much better than after dinner coffee and pastries. Way much better.
And now, just as I was about to end this entry, the heavens opened up and suddenly Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) is upon us. All roads leading to our hospital are now flooded, in some portion waist deep. We’re literally stranded, our hospital an island.
Tomorrow I may have to wade all the way to the bank before they ran out of cash. And most likely they will because pretty soon the electricity will be off.
Yes, confinements can be a blessing for this amateur blogger. Just look at how much I had come up with just sitting here.
