A lot has been written about the importance of the simple things in life.  Today I was reminded again.  The muscle and tissue around my breast and armpit have been increasingly painful in recent weeks.  It seemed that exercise did not particularly help, nor did doing very little.  Yesterday I saw the Oncologist and explained to him what I was experiencing and he said there is a massage technique that is very helpful for keeping that area from tightening too much.  He said mostly it is caused from the radiation, which continues to have some far reaching effects 6 months or so after treatment has stopped.  That was something I hadn’t grasped in my reading.  Massage… good.  He is referring me to a GP who will refer me to a physical therapist for some remedial treatment.  But I figured, hey, I have a diploma in basic massage therapy, I’ll see what I can get started with until the ‘system’ kicks in for the professional therapy.  So this morning I warmed up the arm and pectoral muscles and then lay flat on the floor and massaged the breast and arm area.  Presto!  Within minutes there was less discomfort than I’ve had in weeks!  It was a little thing, but it has buoyed my spirits enormously!

The lesson?  Just hang in there, and keep your heart open.  You never know when the smallest thing will make a big difference.  A smile to a stranger, a get well card to a friend, a message that says ‘I’m thinking of you’.