Today is a crappy day. Really crappy. A big, steaming double-dip of crap on top of a three-day-old-crap-sandwich crappy day. (Apologies to anyone who is reading this post over breakfast.)

But here’s the thing — it’s not the cancer. It’s stupid allergies.

Don’t get me wrong, I love that spring has begun in South Carolina at the same time that my old hometown is shivering under gray skies and sleet. I love that I can walk out of the house in February without gloves, hat and scarf. But the downside is that the damn pollen starts two months earlier here…right when I’m starting my chemo.

So what’s the big deal? Well, I’m already pumped full of toxic chemicals, my regular blood pressure and cholesterol meds, vitamins and all the OTC stuff I need to take to keep my body from getting pummeled by the chemo drugs. And now I have to add cough suppressants, antihistamines, saline spray…

Plus I got ZIPPO sleep last night, so between muscle aches, not being able to breathe through my nose, coughing, a stiff neck from dozing in the chair and a monster crying jag at about 4 a.m., I’m just a delight to be around today.

My poor mom. I know this kills her because she so wants to wave a magic wand and make it all better. We called the GHS Cancer Center on-call nurse today to see if there was anything else I could do. And to find out what we should be looking for that would signal a serious issue. I know mom felt better after that call.

This isn’t a critical issue and it will just have to run its course. In the meantime, I can only pray that mom doesn’t conk me over the head with my grandmother Weaver’s wooden rolling pin because I’m being such a whiny brat today.

One bad day…

On the positive side, I woke up yesterday with the Billy Joel song, “Vienna Waits for You” running through my mind. And a few minutes later, while scrolling through my Facebook feed, I saw an advertisement from a tour company I’ve used in the past; they were promoting a special package deal for 7 nights in Vienna, Austria. One of my favorite cities.

In a prior posts, I had mentioned my need to set a post-chemo, post-radiation goal to focus on during the bad days. I had been thinking about going to a spa for a long weekend, but I realized that when this was all over, mom would really need a break too.

So when she sat down for her morning coffee yesterday, mom found a note from me that said, “I’m dreaming about Sacher Torte and Vienna…wanna go with me in July?”

This Sacher Torte image is going to get me through a lot of crappy days, I know. And in just five months, we will be strolling through the gorgeous neighborhoods of Vienna, enjoying the sights, sounds and flavors of that amazing city. And we will be celebrating the end of one crappy chapter in my life and the start of a new, happier, healthier one.

So screw you, allergies. You have one day then I’m gonna get up and kick your ass proper. Because Vienna waits for me.