Sorry I've been incommunicado. It has been a challenging few weeks ... especially over the Christmas holiday. The last chemo was a bit better than the first one. There are still good days and bad days, but overall it is better.
I must admit that last Saturday was the first time I felt like, "I can't do this anymore." Reading a few messages from "My Smile Jar" and some emails from you all got me to quickly give up my Pity Party. THANKS!
Some Bad News …
I have very little energy.
Brush my teeth… take a nap.
Write a few emails… take a nap.
Phone call more than ten minutes… take a nap.
Take a shower… take a L-O-N-G nap.
I hate taking all these pills … I feel like I could supply the local CVS!
When I start to eat, my jaw hurts but only for a minute.
Still losing weight.
From time-to-time, I get extremely hot and then in a few minutes get cold again. Those “hot-flashes” the ladies get … I’ll never minimize what a pain in the butt they are!
And the Good News …
No throwing up.
No nausea.
No Neuropathy.
Managing the pain better. Now taking Oxycodone instead of Tramadol.
Lots of emails, calls, and text messages ... I can't thank you all enough!
My appetite seems to be coming back slowly.
My hair hasn't fallen out ... yet!
My biggest concern right now is how best to handle pain and to keep my weight up. It hit home a couple of weeks ago when, coming up behind me, my daughter remarked, "Your legs look like grandma's." That was a low blow, especially considering that my legs were my greatest asset on the tennis court … but I got the message.
I'm off to Boston this afternoon to meet with the Pain Management team doc at Brigham and Women's. I want to understand as much as possible about different modalities for handling pain. Going through this whole process, I'm learning that you must know just enough to ask the right questions.
One more thing … another "silver-lining" of my situation ... I have known many of you for a long time, others a shorter time, some just on the tennis court, all at some level of social interaction. I have found it very interesting that I'm learning much more about each of you. Folks I thought were very serious with a minimal sense of humor have turned out to be so funny in their communication to me. And others, with whom I've had light, superficial conversations in the past, have sent me some very insightful, profound messages. It has been a blessing getting to know many of you better.
Thank you for all that you’re doing I trust you had a wonderful holiday and are looking forward to a better and brighter New Year in 2021.
All my best,
Mas
Mas Kimball
508-560-6111
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