Ramblings of a grandma on a mobility scooter: My Black Toe.

That's what comes of being disabled and finding yourself at a loose end with not much to do, especially when it's been so hot lately, you don't particularly want to do a lot anyway!

The heat doesn't suit me if I'm honest, I'm pretty sure they took away my sweat glands when my lymph nodes were removed during my breast cancer operation, instead of perspiring gently (as all us ladies obviously do, rather than sweating buckets like the men), I now don't seem to sweat at all! I know that sounds weird, actually it sounds bonkers, but I don't, I really don't! I just get hotter and hotter until I feel like I'm about to spontaneously combust! It's the most peculiar feeling, and it does, in all seriousness, make me feel pretty awful at times, I've even been known to feel like I'm about to pass out. I have to rush to the nearest source of water, and run the cold tap dabbling my wrists and the back of my neck with cold water in the hope it might help.

But I digress, I started off talking about my toe didn't I? Well that was another one of my stupid accidents, I have poor anticipation, which basically comes down to the fact that I don't always know where I'm putting my feet! I was sat on my stool in the kitchen, not being able to stand up for long, and preparing a salad, not that that has anything to do with my toe, anyway my feet are bare as I'm so hot and I put my right foot to the ground which was a bit wet unbeknown to me, which made my foot suddenly slide forward fast, right underneath the fridge banging my toe hard in the process. Boy did it hurt!! I wouldn't be surprised to learn it's broken, not that I intend going to A&E to find out, they would just tape a couple of toes together to stop it moving so that's what I decided to do, tape two toes together I mean. So now it's black, my toe, and a bit stiff, and quite painful. But I can still move it, just, so no way am I going anywhere near a hospital.

Well back to my sweating problem, or should I say lack of sweating. I lost all my hair when I had chemo, not just on my head but everywhere, legs, arms, eyebrows, eyelashes, everywhere. Thankfully the hair on my head returned, it began to arrive right at the end of chemo, and it seemed as though it was fighting it's way through as it was in tight curls! My hair had been tight curls as a child and had a tendency to wave as an adult, but this new hair was very soft, as soft as a baby, and curly too! As it thickened up it started to go back to the texture of my previous crowning glory, which I'm very grateful for. My eye brows and lashes came back too but the hair on the rest of my body didn't! None on my arms, none on my legs, none anywhere else come to that! Until a few months ago, eleven years after my last treatments I broke my right arm at the elbow in two places. When the plaster came off I began to notice just a few fine hairs growing on the lower part of my right arm, below the break site down to my hand! None above the break or on the other arm, just the lower right!! Very strange.

Which left me wondering if not growing hair underneath my arm pits has some connection to sweat glands, and is my odd theory correct, that my sweat glands may have been removed along with my lymph glands, or indeed are lymph glands something to do with sweat glands?! I only wish I could remember to ask my doctor but I don't tend to go to the doctors very often, and as you are only meant to have five minute appointments with the GP would I get time to do so anyway?! It seems a bit silly going to an appointment just to ask why I don't sweat! Maybe I should just learn to pant like a dog, after all that's how they keep cool isn't it? Second thoughts, I would look a bit stupid!