Can you believe it's September?

My hand has swollen from lymphedema. I cut myself and shortly thereafter it swelled. I elevated it as much as I could, but it wouldn't go down. The surgeon told me to just keep elevating. I asked him about therapy for it (something I had read about)and he waved that idea off and said we could try that later, just give it more time. I'm frustrated all over again with these doctors. They don't seem to care how any of this affects your life and you have to fight to find a way to improve your situation.

After another week I couldn't stand it anymore (it had been swollen for weeks and I was having difficulty typing) so I called the physical therapist at the radiation onc's office. She got an order from that onc and I've been driving to Alex two or three times a week for four or five weeks now for therapy and to have my hand/arm wrapped. It's looking a lot better and hopefully I'll get a sleeve/glove next week and won't have to wrap it anymore.

The wrapping looks like a burn wrap with gauze around my fingers and a bandage that goes around my hand and all the way up to my shoulder. You wouldn't believe how many perfect strangers ask what happened. It doesn't come off as rude, so much as honest open concern. Like they can't help it. As if they end the question with "you poor thing!"

But it is tiresome. I mean, do I really want to go into what the bandage is all about? I think some people that mention it don't so much want to know what happened, but feel obligated to ask. Like the waiter in the Mexican restaurant who waits on me several times a month. He knows my hand was fine last week so maybe he feels he's being rude if he doesn't ask.

One time about the third time that day someone said, "Oh, what happened to your hand?" I don't know what came over me. The look of concern (like I said, it looks like a horrible burn wrap) and horror on her face was too much and I blurted out, "This? It's nothing. It isn't real. It's a trick." And I waved my hand to show it wasn't hurt. The concern turned to confusion. Then I felt bad. All I could do was shrug and say, "long story."

Something terrible just happened. I've been posting for over an hour. I explained all the problems with changing oncologists and such and edited and oh, no! I hit spell check and somehow everything I typed after the above disappeared!

I can't retype it now, I have somewhere to be in twenty minutes and I still have to wrap my arm.

I'll try to remember it all and add it later. Bummer.