"Designed To Die"?

Did that grab your attention?

The title comes from a conversation I had with my "Cancer Counsellor" yesterday.
Her name is Rebecca L, and she works at the Cancer Society.
I get free counselling here - brilliant.
I was sharing with her, amongst other things, my dread of pain if and when I get to the last stages of my life - I have witnessed, at first hand, what appeared to be uncomfortable, painful deaths, and also talked to a man whose wife's cancer had spread into her brain and left her unable to control her thoughts, etc.

Rebecca first talked about the individual's power to control the pain relief in the final stages.
Then about the body's ability to close itself down/"die" without too much discomfort/pain.
She observed that with most deaths it is those who are left behind who experience the grief - usually the dying person is not too stressed about it.
Then she said "we are designed to die".
This was not said in a callous way at all - in fact, I found it immensely comforting.
I mean, think about it - Death and Taxes - we will all go thru these 2 traumas in our own way and time.
Afterwards, though, I remembered that, yes, the body is designed to die, BUT we, as spiritual beings also, are designed to live forever!
Let there be no doubt about this also (just had that "Death is not the End" song playing again).
Thanks, Rebecca!

2 bum notes from the hospital...

1. Labtests failed to do my cancer marker test and get it to the hospital - what on earth is going to happen about this crisis in blood testing in Auckland? Whoever it was on the ADHB who decided to trash Diagnostic Med Lab and go for cheap, inexperienced labour has a LOT to answer for - it's on a par with NCEA...but more potentially fatal and distressing in the short term.

2. I have developed an incisional hernia, i.e. a hernia (rupture) caused by the surgery. Because these things are very tricky and complex to operate on, Dr Thompson was quite emphatic that I needn't have surgery unless and until it becomes more of a problem - watch this space (and not my tummy).

Upsides from yesterday included Christine Fa'amausili joining the Blog Crew - welcome, Christine! - and a lovely dinner visit from "old Uni friend" (AND co-lodger from London days), Read Gainsford.

Read is performing a concert on Fri eve at the Raye Freedman Centre (Epsom Girls' Grammar) - a wonderful selection of piano pieces including Liszt's Piano Sonata in B minor and Shostakovich's Dolly Pieces (?).

And so passes the first Post-Chemo blog (assuming the last cycle ended yesterday) - needless to say, I am trying not to over-react to every little twinge of pain that comes my way.

If I come across as a little paranoid, well, it's all their fault...

Love,

G.