After last week's topic, it's time to get back to the day-to-day realities of my life with Multiple Myeloma. There will be more to report and mutually experience as my CAR-T journey unfolds, but in the meantime - let's keep the odd-servations flowing.
Either as the result of neurosis or neuropathy (Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy / CIPN; not to be confused with the more painful and debilitating Diabetic Neuropathy - which I do NOT have, fortunately), I have come to the rather rational realization that I need to have slippers on during the evening when I walk around. Actually, since I already always wear shoes throughout the day, I'm thinking it's not such a big leap to want my feet covered in the evening as well. It doesn't have to be socks and slippers at night (eww), but comfortable nightwear with some kind of hard sole (mukluks are out!). I just can't go around barefoot - day or night.
It is a noticeable discomfort or appreciable aspect of my physical stability to not have my feet covered and protected or buffered on the bottom. The neuropathy in my feet doesn't really hurt or compromise my balance in any way; either foot. It's more that for me, footwear provides a confidence of the certainty of my mobility. Not to mention, that stepping on hard or sharpish objects in bare/socked feet hurts - I admit it. Like so many other minor aspects of my life with cancer, I acknowledge that they are a reality, I don't lament that they exist, and I modify my life or behavior in order to manage the situation and keep moving on.
And so, that's what I do. I identify a cancer-related situation that needs attention or adjusting, I come up with a remedy that is minimally invasive and maximally effective (to the best of my ability), and I apply it to my life in order to keep things as normal as possible (under the circumstances). I don't think this is particularly unique or revolutionary, but I do find that it helps ME manage my disease-related, quality of life "side effects" (vs pharmaceutically-related side effects), and helps keep me in control of an understandably somewhat out-of-control aspect of my life. I gotta fever, the fever is CIPN, and the only prescription is more slippers.
