Just three little words – How are you?
How often do we say them? I think most of the time we don’t even say them, we just let them out, because it’s just a form of saying hello. Yes, we mean the hello bit of it, but then we quickly pass on, because we aren’t really expecting the answer. When we get asked the same question, we answer, “I’m fine!” because we don’t want to go through the long list of things that we are dealing with.
I know for a fact that we are not all like that, because we have a wonderful neighbour, Carolann, who really cares. Yesterday afternoon she came in with a big bunch of flowers and a box of chocolate cupcakes. Libby took the flowers and the cupcakes away. She put the flowers in the kitchen so that she could put them in a vase later. I have seen the flowers since then, but the cupcakes have totally disappeared.
The primary message of this blog is that if you come to visit me with cakes or biscuits, get very close to me so that I can stuff them up my t-shirt – Libby will then think that it is my lymphoedema going daft again and I’ll be able to eat them without her knowing.
So Carolann brought this lovely stuff. Then she looked at me and asked, “How are you?” I knew it wasn’t the usual. She meant it. She wanted to know and she waited to hear. I told her the absolute truth – I was feeling really good! She gave me one of those looks that women give when they test you to see if you are telling the truth, but I obviously passed the test and she believed me!
Last night, at about 3 am, I asked myself the same question. How are you? I was just slowly wakening up when I asked it, and I had already decided the answer – I was in pain, just in that bit of my back, just below my kidney. It’s going to be really bad. I’ll try and waken up without disturbing Libby, then I’ll take my breakthrough medication and try and lie still until it kicks in. I hope it won’t be bad. It generally is at this time of night, but it might be ok, but it might not…..
All these thoughts as I was coming out of sleep.
And then I was awake. Was it bad pain? No. Was it medium pain? No. But it’s not right – what is it?
It was an itch.
Itchy skin. Just where I often get pain and that is why I expected pain, but there was none. I was very confused. An itch. A very annoying itch!
What are you going to do?
I’ll scratch it.
That isn’t a good idea. Libby will see the scratches when she changes the urostomy bag. Then there will be trouble! Or you might get an infection because it is so close. Then there will be big trouble.
What can I do?
Put cream on it.
I did that. It’s still itching. I should have scratched it. I’ll scratch it.
No! Put more cream on and rub it in well.
OK. I’ll rub it in with my fingernails.
No, just rub it in.
You are no fun! Who are you?
I am you!
Oh. How are you?
I am fine, thanks. No itching. No pain. No reason to be awake.
Yes, I’m good too.
Go to sleep then. Stop keeping me awake.
You might all be thinking that I have gone even dafter than normal. You might be right. It might be the medication. Then again, it might all be true.
How are you, by the way?