Waiting for the thunder clap, the white bolt piercing the sky. Sipping wine on the deck while dark billowy clouds march forward. Summer rain. My tomatoes are ripening and the strawberries are rotting on the vine. I can't pick them fast enough. The Blue Jays left but our squirrel family venture onto the deck exiting only when cheeks reach maximum capacity. New zucinnis look like alien pods, tiny bell peppers weigh down their branches and dill battle the local spider.
Two more appointments with my lady friends in physical therapy. I'm to wear my arm bandage 23/7 - but I get to make an appointment with the specialist who will measure and fit me with a custom made sleeve and glove. Goody. As a trial I wore two Isotoner Gloves on my right hand. To replace the wrapping. It was torture. I had it on for all of 30 minutes. This is nuts!! Yesterday I had a lymph draining massage that was quite aggressive in lymph therapy terms. Today I'm actually sore. At the end of the session, however, you could see tiny rivers just below the skin on my arm - a slow moving river pulsing on towards the nearest lymph vessel - each pulse pushed the fluid forward and on and on. Looked creepy, felt good. The "puffy" as my Australian therapist refers to (underarm tuck & roll) is like a bottle neck. She pushed and poked and found places in my groin and back side that haven't been breached in centuries- all this pushing creates a syphon affect and the drainage begins. This morning my arm pit looks like, well, an arm pit. The PT applied a stretch-bandage tape that starts at my armpit and runs down my side to my hip. It helps direct the lymph fluid away from "the puffy". This morning as I awoke and rolled over, I could feel this pull and pulse on my side as my movement activated the syphon and the tape acted like a aqueduct.
I'm to return in another 6 months, or so, because the therapist are limited by the radiation damage. Apparently my cells are still regenerating and the tissue is not pliable and stubbornly cling to my chest wall.
I still have this curious numbing in both hands and feet. We think its either from the medication I'm on or residual neropothy from the chemo. Gotta keep on keeping on. I feel like I'm 90 years old.
Oh our sweet girl, you do not deserve so much discomfort and pain, only wish I knew of instant relief for you. Really humbling, when I'm standing in the closet screaming about not being able to button my pants! Seriously need to start doing the Belly massages as seen on the web.
ReplyDeleteYesterday we had incident with BEE'S, two of our hummingbird feeders were attacked by BEE"s thousand of them emerged on the patio, the feeders had been their quite awhile, word got out, Free Sweets! Just read locally a dog had been killed by Bee's, quickly grabbed our dog sent Norm out, what does he do grabs the hose,
Lucky our dog loves the hose, going crazy in the house, Norm losing battle with bees, finally,
dons his gloves and BBQ tongs goes in for the kill, after awhile all seemed quiet, Norm is OK.
Later this day,go out for cocktails and dinner and HEEERE they come. Grab drinks,Norm & dog!!!
Another day in paradise........
As Gary Larson would say, ‘what the….’
ReplyDeleteI’ve heard of the sausage dress, but the haute couture sausage arm & hand casing is just too much for my mind to process. GDI. What can I say, I had no idea that breast cancer was so complex. My (pink) hat is off to you & your sister survivors. Actually, I don’t have a pink hat (it’s just my attempt to a solitary metaphor). I do have a straw hat garnished with white & pink bunny ears and pretty silk spring flowers.
I envy your fabulous deck where you can sit and to watch the weather go by. As I compose this note, I’m sitting outside on my wee little back deck, enjoying the sound of the waterfall on yet another beautiful day in Pittsburgh (who knew!). After taking a morning walk in the park, a group of us went to a local deli for breakfast. It’s a funky place close to home where the breakfasts are made to order - no wedge of designer fruit carved into flowers or animals, or tofu offerings, just plain artery clogging, heart stopping fare. You know, food for the soul, not the body - As God is my witness, I’ll never go hungry again!
And I can just vision Norm’s battle of the bees (giggling). Surely they were just migrating to or from somewhere else and saw your place as an inviting pit stop.
Please let that be, I enjoy my cocktails on the back patio, thank you very much!