Greetings from the Well

I feel like I'm trapped at the bottom of a well these days. The chemo has resulted in slight (and hopefully temporary) hearing loss -- a ringing in my ears that occasionally muffles the sounds around me. There is thick goop in my mouth that tastes awful. And most days all I can do is lie on my back and stare upward. Fortunately, I can relish the media brouhaha and movie-of-the-week deals when I'm eventually rescued. Eat your heart out, Baby Jessica.

Okay, I'm being a little melodramatic. There is no Food Network to watch at the bottom of a well, after all. And I did manage two walks in Mount Pleasant Cemetery this weekend, one with my Aunt Linda and one on my own, which is more activity than I'd managed the two previous weeks. I'm also down to only eight more radiation sessions.

Other good news: at today's weigh-in, I'd only lost one pound since last week. Hopefully that means I've bottomed out on the weight loss... and the hair loss. The hair at the back of my neck has thinned to nothing and I had to shave what was left of my goatee. Jeez, if my voice got higher and I started shrinking this would be just like puberty but in reverse.

My continued gratitude to everyone for the calls, cards, and gifts of support. I promise more individual and substantial thank-yous when I can manage them. For now, extra special thanks to Uncle Steve and Aunt Linda for drives to the hospital and emergency liquid-food pickups, to Kim for her chauffeur services and for recording season 2 episodes of Dexter, to Jeanette for constant emotional and logistical support, and to my parents who arrive in town today for two weeks of David-driving duty. Thank you all for helping to keep me from wallowing in the well.