Day Plus Seven: Not Exactly Heaven

Lame rhyme, I know. I should have tried something creative involving leaven or Kevin or something, but I can't be arsed right now. I woke up this AM with a raging sore throat and swollen esophagus, the kind where you can neither swallow nor speak. I was afraid I had an infection. The good news is I don't. The bad news is that this is one of those week-later side effects of chemotherapy, and it's gonna get worse before it gets better.

The nurse explained that chemo affects all rapidly-dividing cells in your body. Hence why it kills cancer. Hence why it injures everything else. The cells most affected are bone marrow (of course) and the kind that line your mouth, throat, gut, intestines and rectum, as well as your skin. Which is why you get mouth sores, esophagitis, stomach aches, diarrhea and skin rashes post-chemo. My opinion? I don't recommend them. Mostly because they get in the way of eating. For the first time in the history of my life and historically proudly-fat Scottish family (ie, if you're not 10 pounds overweight everyone wonders if you're sick or perhaps waging a hunger strike for Scottish independence), I can't keep weight on. It's insane. I'm eating what I can, when I can, and drinking those dire Boost and Ensure drinks to supplement, but the weight keeps coming off. And also for the first time in my life, I'm not thrilled about it, mostly because I know it's muscle I'm losing. Which is why I'm so dedicated to my laps around the pod, in an effort to put a little definition back into my calves and to at least use my muscles even a little so they don't forget why they're there.

All of which means that I need some motivation to get up and out, mind over esophageal matter. Anyone recommend any good tunes I should download for my pod walks? I'm looking for stuff to keep me moving, not too fast, not too slow. I'll try anything; my tastes are pretty eclectic (my current mix has Creedence, The Killers, Frank Sinatra, Jason Mraz, The Clancy Brothers...).

Help a sister out.