Not Normal Yet

Its been a week of gasping for air.

My red cell count has been down for awhile. Last Wed I received a shot to stimulate red cell production. I don't think it has taken yet. I am still fatigued and the slightest activity leaves me gasping.

I have been re-reading "Into Thin Air" by John Krakauer, but those folks while gasping are climbing Mt Everest. I am just walking to the kitchen.

(I really like the snapper in the photo at right taken by my friend Bill Bryant on Walnut Creek in Austin. It's a wonderful photo.)

My car is fixed. The transmission was rebuilt and main seal replaced. Hopefully its good for another couple of years.

I had another bit of luck in the face of disaster. When the transmission rebuilder put the car back together a bolt remained loose in the right front wheel and the brake lines were not bled. I first experienced it as soft brakes. Then over the weekend we took it to friend's who have a very steep driveway and live up a steep twisty road. The car was making noise. It sounded like a bad bearing.

The luck was that the wheel didn't fall off and crash the car. Anyway, we returned it to our mechanic who returned it to the rebuilder who called and took full responsibility for the mistake, fixed it promptly and delivered the car to me.

I was so happy to have wheels again that I did a grocery store trip at 5:00 pm. That's something I would never do normally.

The parking lot and store was packed with tired working parents and bored, frantic kids that were all hungry.

I was stomping around with my cane and chemo side affects grinning like an idiot.

Besides the low red cells, I have ringing in my ears and periodically experience something like fire ant bites on my arms and legs. They aren't bites, just my poor jangeled nerves. Still I stare at my arms wondering why they aren't covered with blisters. You can't see any effect on my skin, it just feels like a bunch of fire ants biting all at once. Fortunately it does not last and it is supposed to go away.