Another candle

I had a birthday last week and celebrated in a quiet way. Renecito helped me blow out the candles on my birthday cake, as you can see here.

Radiation is progressing. I'm almost halfway through, and other than some weird acne on my back near the zap site, my skin is doing fine, now getting slathered twice a day with aloe, then with Eucerin. When I compare the side effects with chemo, radiation is a piece of cake. I saw Dr. Gillis for my weekly exam this morning and she was pleased with my progress. She can feel a definite diminution in the size of the node since we started radiation treatment. In fact, it's so small now, it's getting rather uncomfortable to have her dig around trying to find it each week. Very promising.

However, the fatigue is really bumming me out. It doesn't seem to matter if I get plenty of sleep and rest, I'm just tired from the time I get up, and other than the lunches I still go out for in the 'hood, and the small birthday outings recently, I mostly sit around and read and do crossword puzzles, and doze. I have managed to get three lino plates carved in the moments of energy (consequently my apartment is not white-glove clean), which is good, since tonight I have the open studio time at Somarts to print them. When I have energy to leave the apartment for something more stressful than lunch, I try to spend it on being with Della, because, though extremely exhausting, she is going through such an adorable phase right now that I hate to miss a moment of her cuteness.

Meg is visiting starting today, but staying at Robert's. Fortunately she is used to hanging out and being a lump with me, so I won't have to try to be more energetic than I feel. The fatigue can last for as long as two weeks after radiation treatment ends. Since I finish 5/15, I guess I can look forward to feeling normal again by Memorial Day if not before.