The Cold

At church yesterday, four or five of the ladies of the congregation who have also gone through various types of cancer treatments were talking with me about side effects and this and that. Referring to radiation, one of them said, "And I was always cold." And all of them nodded.

Ah, yes. The cold. It's like a live thing. I can feel objectively that I am warm; my hands and feet are warm, my skin reports warmth. But the cold still strikes. It makes the non-hair on my body stand on end, makes my legs twitch, makes me shiver. It's like a wind blowing where there is no real wind. Covers comfort, but do not eliminate it.

My mother spoke of this when she was being treated at the Gamma Knife Center at the Boston Floating Hospital, in a last-ditch attempt to shrink the biggest tumor.

Ah well, at least I know this isn't unique. And I also know there's no point in turning up the heat.