Feeling a little better

I have had two almost pain-free days, which is unusual and very welcome.

Sometimes I get a twinge in my tooth, and I panic that the toothache is coming back. It reminds me of the panic I also get when I feel a dart of heel pain – the first sign of the dreaded plantar fasciitis. Fellow sufferers know how long it takes to make this debilitating condition go away. Anyway, I no longer need to take oxycodone for my tooth, although I have taken Tramadol, a pain reliever that is a step down.

My legs also feel better, though it's the same thing – they still hurt sometimes. Yesterday at physical therapy Michael worked me pretty hard rather than letting me lounge on a table receiving heat, ultrasound and massage. Following doctor's orders, I intend to play tennis Thursday.

Intend is in italics because it was one of our vocabulary words today in class at the Literacy Project the last day before vacation. I have enjoyed this volunteer job helping to teach reading and writing to adults. I should have headed straight home, but I liked being in Northampton in the snow. Instead I went to the Haymarket and had a scone and coffee while reading the newspaper.

For a change of topic, I'm linking to a recent post I wrote for Newsmax on the many different ways my hair has grown in after each round of chemotherapy. It's funny – most people recognize me although I look a little different, but others look right through me. (This usually happens at the supermarket. Maybe they would look through me anyway.) At a gathering of past and present newspaper people a couple of years ago, a former co-worker actually asked me who I was.

Well anyway, click here if you want to read about how I sometimes say that my darker hair is my consolation prize from having had cancer.