For the better part of my 34 years on Earth, I’ve been that guy with the messy desk and disorganized closet, who never used a planner, who crammed his brain with stuff he couldn’t possibly remember.
But cancer changed all that, and I can’t control it.
It’s not the cancer itself, but the intense discipline it takes to be a cancer patient. I take up to 25 pills a day, some on alternating days and some only once a week in a huge dose. I have so many bottles that I have a special box for them.
My docs talk about the drugs in brand names, but my pharmacy gives me generics,
which sound nothing like the brand names. I have to write the brand name on the generic bottle with a Sharpie just to keep things straight, and then put abbreviations of my own invention on the bottle caps, so I can know what bottle I’m grabbing out of my special box.
In other words, I’ve developed a bit of OCD when it comes to my meds. That’s a good thing, but it’s spilled over into the rest of my life. I think I’m going crazy: That’s what being organized feels like.
I create lists for everything. I’ve recently been to the Dominican Republic and Paris for vacation, then headed straight to Boston to be with my family for Christmas. For that I made three packing lists, and checked them way more than twice. I have begun packing days in advance.
At home I arrange things just so, from my cologne collection (that new Lacoste Essential is killer, by the way) to my used magazines. I’ve separated my sock drawer into black and white socks, calf and ankle socks. I stack my toilet paper neatly out of the package under the bathroom sink. What’s next? Arranging the spice rack in alphabetical order? (This was meant to be a joke, but now the urge is too great.)
When it comes to side effects from my cancer meds, I’ve had ’em all: nausea, vomiting, dizziness, fatigue, frustration, headache, constipation. But becoming organized, who knew?
See Jason Carpenter’s ongoing video postings about his life with cancer. Warning: some expletives.
Comments (4)
Well Jason, I can relate with the OCD! Hopefully when the cancer is gone, so will the OCD.. :D I LOVE YOU! Stay strong!
Dude you should look into Vitamin B-17. It something the big pharma people don’t want you to know. B-17 cures cancer accrording to a study done in the 60’s.Do the research yourself and pass the word.Stop taking all those pill and take one.
B-17 is a scam. I love the ignorant claims about “big pharma”. What a tool. Don’t listen to that idiot.
Hey Jason, I have been battling cancer for seven years now and take one day at a time. I am just finding out about this blog thing. It is really awsome how you have posted your journey. Hang in there and stay strong. One of the best things I did for myself is I changed my eating habits and walk 3 to 4 miles a day. I now have an organic garden too. The veggies are awsome!