October 11, 2020

I'm posting an update for no good reason other than to affirm I'm still here and all is still going well.

The dosage of fentanyl was reduced this week because I found that there was so little pain that I wasn't using any of the supplementary oxycodone pills at all. Even with the reduced fentanyl there is little pain---I do mean little---and therefore few pills. The doctors and nurses admonish me not to stint on the pills, and I don't.

The only other symptoms of note are dry mouth and swollen ankles, neither very serious.

I've learned to use the alarm on my iPhone to good effect. Having all these opioids swirling around in there, I find I can go to sleep on a moment's notice. I tell Betty I'm going to have a catnap, set the alarm for 15 minutes, and have a refreshing nap.

Another consequence of those swirling opioids is constant self-interrogation, ``Are they affecting brain function?'' So far, I have been able to suppress serious worry on that score---and my performance in our nightly Scrabble contests gives me good hope that there is, as yet, no cause for serious worry.

Trump's unhinged behavior and his dip in the polls continue to be, I believe, important factors in how cheery I continue to feel.

Finally, a note about my iPhone, which has been useful not only for naps but also for entertainment. It tells me that tomorrow is Indigenous Peoples Day, as well as an important day on the Italian-American calendar.