What a difference a day makes

About 2.40am Saturday morning I woke with a full bladder and as I released the toxic urine I realised that I did not feel nausea. What? I finished. Flushed. Still no nausea. The voices of Tegan and David chorus in my ears: “Food is medicine – eat, eat, eat.” I devoured a bowl of fried rice prepared by our dear neighbours with an avocado, some sliced ham, a tablespoon of my fav pickled chilli. I drank some kombucha. It felt good to eat and drink without having to force myself, and I enjoyed the food. Could it be that the debilitating phase of nausea had passed? After my early morning “snack” I went back to bed and radiation fatigue effortlessly drew me into sleep. Next thing it was 7.30am and David was getting up for his Saturday bike ride. I told him of my early morning feast, and as he was leaving I was preparing my 2 crumpets and watermelon for first breakfast. About 10.30am I prepared second breakfast of cheese omelette with sliced ham on the side. I ate the food at our table in our back courtyard. It was lovely to eat there in the sun. It was a little cool so I ducked upstairs to get the dressing gown that is my security blanket these days. I have to report that as the day continued the nausea re-appeared but it has reverted to ‘bearable’ which means that my will power can overrule the feelings. The wonderful thing is that for a few hours this morning, I experienced and luxuriated in the simple pleasure of being alive, eating, and drinking, without feeling sick. What a blessing.

PS The gardenias in our back courtyard are coming into flower. This is a special time of year for me because gardenias were a favourite flower of my mother. Each year the flowers act as a gentle reminder of the tremendous love that our mother showered upon us kids, and how she taught us to love and care for others. Seeing the flowers this morning, given my current state of health and unknown prospects, was a joy. And the glorious thing is that my mother’s name was HOPE … lovely!