Reading, Treatment, and Elizabeth

I've been indulging my reading self and pretty much ignoring my writing self recently, which explains the scarcity of posts. I've been deep in either thought or fantasy quite a bit, and have also withdrawn a little from social contact. Add in the overcast weather of the last week, and I'm happiest curled up with a warm blanket and a book. I'm almost finished with the last book in this trilogy, and I have to say, it's been ages since I've been as drawn into reading as I have been with The Farseer Trilogy. I'll be finished in a couple of days and then I'll have to decide whether to start right in on the second trilogy, or read something else in between trilogies. I really think my Sony Reader has been responsible for getting around some of the concentration problems I had previously been having with my reading. Some day when I have some energy, I'll post more about my favorite new toy, the Reader.

I'm becoming weary of the treatment process, even though I still have many months ahead to complete. The high energy of enthusiasm and motivation I felt at first is settling down to a level more realistic for the long haul ahead. The news about Elizabeth Edwards has hit close to home, not just for me, but for many breast cancer patients and survivors. It has nudged me toward thinking about some of the less positive possible outcomes. I really admire Elizabeth Edwards and her family for their public honesty and their mutual support.

I've done well this week, my first week of Taxol. Tomorrow I'll get another Taxol treatment, and I plan to drive myself to and from the clinic, something I could not have done while on AC. I haven't had any serious side effects, but I have been achy in a way similar to when I was getting the Neulasta injections.

Oh, and I saw the first charges for the Neulasta: $4200 per injection! Times four. I'm glad my insurance is helping with this. If you're not insured, please find a way to get at least some minimal coverage.

Tomorrow the new game expansion for Oblivion is being released and I should receive it in the mail this week. It's my favorite PC game even though I hardly ever play it. I even believe that role-playing the strong and powerful sword-fighter I created might be good for the kind of mental state required for battling a strong adversary like cancer. The odd thing is, my fatigue in real life makes me feel as though I'm not strong enough to fight a good (game) battle, so I keep putting off playing. I'm hoping that this new game expansion will get me excited about playing once again, but then there goes my reading time... I'm a kid in a candy store, heh.