In Eight Steps to Happiness Geshe-la says "'Self' and 'other' are relative terms, rather like 'this mountain' and 'that mountain ... 'This' and 'that' therefore depend upon our point of reference. This is also true of self and other. By climbing down the mountain of self, it is possible to ascend the mountain of other, and thereby cherish others as much as we presently cherish ourself."

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Fatigue ...

it's literally a drag.
I've never been tired like this when I'm not on chemo.
To clarify: There are different ways to be tired. Usually we mean lack of sleep. But this fatigue kind of tired doesn't go away with shut-eye.
This fatigue gets worse the longer you're on chemo.
(The fatigue does feel familiar from other times I've had chemo, but it's a bit worse this time since they threw in the radiation, which is also fatiguing.)

For example, now I have to lie down after walking the dog around the block because I feel wiped out. Lately, I even feel exhausted from getting dressed, just putting my arms into the sleeves of my shirt.

Here's a more technical explanation:
It's a chemo day, and my oncologist's nurse calls my name in the waiting room.
As we're walking back to his office, she asks how I'm doing.
I say, "Pretty good, but fatigued."
She says, "Of course you're fatigued! We've been knocking the stuffing out of you! [with the chemo]"

Who knew we had "stuffing"! (I've never studied anatomy.) Apparently it's part of what helps give us energy! If anyone has extra stuffing, please send it my way. Ha ha. Dumb, I know. That's the way it goes these days.
Can I blame the chemo for my bad sense of humor??

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