Keeping energy up means staying involved in life
When power goes out, everyone goes after energy companies. But there's nobody to target when personal energy ebbs and flows due to infused or oral chemotherapy.
With delight, I recently realized my energy levels had returned to relative normal, thanks to adjustments in my medication. I was able to negotiate local arts festivals and food festivals for hours without wilting.
Just a couple of weeks ago, if I chose to enjoy one of those activities, I'd have come home to take a nap. This weekend, I came home to do laundry.
Mundane tasks might not be exciting to most, but I was ecstatic. I even folded everything while the last load took a final spin.
The only problems I had after walking through an area mall in search of a favorite eye makeup were the usual aches from the joint where the big toe joins the foot. A helpful podiatrist diagnosed hallicus limitus when he looked down at my feet while we waited in a buffet line.
"You were a ballet dancer," he said. "And you are clairvoyant," was my snappy comeback.
He was right and my solution has been to buy hand-crafted Finn Comfort shoes, so I can walk without looking for the nearest bench or chair. Lots of former dancers turn to them, often out of desperation.
The only additional problem I've faced with my feet has been the same peeling I experienced with my fingers, a side effect of my anti-cancer medication. Always looking for a positive, I've rationalized that I didn't need those callused areas of skin, anyway.
"Slather," is still the word of the day from Margaret Whalen, ENH symptom monitor, and from my oncologist. I no longer have to remember to cover my hands with moisturizer, but to give my feet a fighting chance, I use it liberally and reserve special socks to keep the moisturizer off my shoes and sheets.
The routine does nothing for the hallicus joint, but it does reduce the peeling, thereby making it easier to walk without tingling. Apparently, the tingling and the peeling are related.
Does tingling relate to energy? Those with downed power lines might think it does. My power lines might have been downed, but they aren't out.
Ruth Gesmer Silverman ofBuffalo Grove learned inMarch 2007 that her breastcancer, originally diagnosedin 2002, had spread to herbones.Her column about livingwith the disease appearsevery other Monday in Health Fitness. Contact her at yahoo.com">ruthwriter1@yahoo.com.