~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT:
You
want to know what I do to keep busy. I try to enjoy every day. I am able to
spend time exploring and investigating all the wonders of nature on my almost
daily walks. There is so much to see, hear, and smell, all of which I have
passed by all these years in a rush to get somewhere to do something rather
than to enjoy what is here. I’m 58 years old and I started to work at age
eleven. That’s a long time. For whatever time I have to live, I intend to enjoy
myself. I read. I enjoy my home, my yard, and my cats. I enjoy my leisure. Some
days my energy level is extremely low and some days my threshold of pain is
lower than normal. When I have to go on a preventive medication schedule,
everything slows down as well as the pain lessening. I’ve spent a lot of time
roaming around the stores. I could never just roam around before. It was always
zip, zip, zip – in and out – hurry, hurry, hurry.
I
have friends in to visit me and do lunch here. I go to their homes, and some
friends I meet for lunch out on the days I take the car out for a drive. It all
works out.
I’m
so thankful to have time to rest, relax, and enjoy my life. The only change is
I don’t have to take any crap from anyone, and I don’t have to be on the road
at 7:00 a.m. every day. I stay busy when I feel like it and take it easy when I
don’t. There are days when it is really hard to get out of bed but I make
myself get up, get dressed, put on
makeup, and do my hair even if I then just collapse on the couch for the most
part of the day. My body is very important to me and at long last I am
listening to it, having ignored it for too many years. I really pushed myself
hard for so long. No more pushing. I’m not seriously thinking about any
business ventures right now because I don’t need any hassles. The one thing I
cannot tolerate is tension and stress of any kind. I have to back off or I
become extremely sick. It is meant for me to enjoy myself and my life. If
anything else is going to happen, it will, but I’m not actively pursuing
anything at this time. I watch and listen to some talk shows just as I listen
to the radio and read the newspaper and magazines. If I’m interested in the
subject matter, I pay attention. If not, I turn them off. No big deal.
I
want to do some charitable work come spring. I have developed a hang-up though.
I’m afraid to be around people who might have a cold or the flu virus. I
haven’t become totally paranoid about it, but I always think about it. For
instance, I’d like very much to go into pediatrics at the hospital and feed the
babies, rock them, or read stories to the older kids, but where do you find the
most contagious diseases? With young kids and in hospitals. So I guess that’s
out. I’ll discover something when the time is right.
In
the interim, I’m taking my vitamins (multi-vitamin plus extra Vitamin E – very
good for the lungs), wearing my seat belt, getting plenty of rest, eating
right, drinking very little alcohol, and not smoking. I have a very positive
attitude, and I plan to have a happy and healthy life. I wonder how long it
takes to get years of nicotine out of a person’s system?
I
am just so pleased with my progress over this ten month period. I have overcome
and continue to heal from a collapsed lung, pneumonia, bronchitis, major
surgery, loss of blood, loss of weight, and loss of muscle. I have stopped
smoking and survived emotional trauma. I have survived the conversion from work
orientation to no work orientation. I have made social adjustments and have
performed physical and mental therapy – self-administered. Just think about it.
I have done so well. It is incredible. I have so much for which to be thankful.
~~~~~~~~~~~
In the spring of 1990, Midge Rylander rushes to the hospital because of a persistent cough, chest pain, and shortness of breath. She believes she has pneumonia but her diagnosis turns out to be much worse. Malignant pleural mesothelioma. Lung cancer from prior exposure to asbestos.
Midge’s doctors advise her that she has less than eighteen months left to live. While recuperating at home, Midge begins a daily journal to document her experiences during her final months. Eighteen Months To Live is the transcription of Midge’s handwritten journal as well as letters that Midge wrote to her daughter Rachele during that time. Midge writes about her emotional struggles, her physical pain, and her search for answers.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dr. Rachele Baker is a veterinarian and writer living in California. She has been a veterinarian for over thirteen years. She is in the process of writing a series of short books about medical problems in dogs and cats entitled My Virtual Veterinarian. The first book in the series will be published soon and will be entitled Allergies In Dogs: How Can You Stop The Scratching And Chewing?
Dr. Baker would like to invite you to subscribe to her blog where she has answered a number of veterinary questions on her Ask The Vet as well as written articles on veterinary medical topics. As she writes each chapter of her book about allergies in dogs, she will be writing blog posts related to that chapter. The first chapter of Dr. Baker's book that she has written is about the benefits of the omega-3 fatty acids for allergic dogs and she has a blog post on her site about that subject.
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