Yesterday's acupuncture treatment may have begun a revisal trend in my neuropathy -- or at least helped me tolerate it better. The acupuncturist placed two needles below my ribs, two along my collarbones, two in my feet (he left those in place for about 30 minutes) and two in my right hand. Evidently the needles that stayed in place for some time were sedating, or at least I fell asleep and when Dirk came in, he seemed pleased that I had dozed off. I came home feeling more energized and was able to make dinner and putter around the house.
This morning I awoke early (for me) and made waffles for breakfast, changed the sheets on the bed, started some laundry and am about to go to the grocery store.
It's not that my feet really feel better, but more that I am able to tolerate the discomfort.
I thought of another way to describe neuropathy. When I curl my toes against the balls of my feet, it feels as though my feet are swollen and tender. But when I examine them, that's not the case. My feet appear totally normal. That's the thing about nerve pan -- it's not visible.
And that's the thing about disabilities. They're not always visible. You can't see my cancer. You can see the side effects of the treatment, such as baldness. But cancer itself is invisible to the naked eye.
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A good description of neurapathy (hate the stuff.) Been feeling bad since my treatment on the 20th. Good day today, worked late and don't feel so awful. Actually smiling from your post...changing sheets sdounds like a plan tomorrow OR washing some floors.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a less painful, very joyful New Year with a remission of 50 years in both our futures (ok go for 20)
Luv,
Laura
I just finished a new med that included very serious neurapathy and I really felt for all you've been through trying to deal with it. As you said, it is consant and when you can't turn off the reminder that you are dealing with a chronic illness, it can wear at you emotionally. Plus, people who have not experienced it tend to dismiss it because they can't see the problem. True point about cancer being hidden, so many things that the cancer took from me are not obvious to those around me, but I still carry the scars. I find your blog so very reassuring that we can keep those around us focused on who we are, not victims, but just regular people living with highly unusual challenges. Keep on keep on Jill, I'm cheering from the sidelines every day! Kathleen from the list...
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