Durango-Silvergon Narrow Gauge Railroad

Tuesday July 28, 1992

Up at 5:30 a.m. to leave at 6:30 for Durango. We arrive at 7:40 and board the Silverton Narrow Gauge train for a 3-1/2 hour ride to Silverton, Colorado, an old mining town. Our square dance friends are on the train with us. It's a long and beautiful ride through the mountains and canyons along a beautiful raging river "Animus."

When we arrive we split up in couples. Frank and I have a nice lunch and wander around town buying a few items. We return to Durango via a bus. We go by Purgatory where we skied about 12 years ago. Back in Durango we wander the town and have a great Mexican dinner, then return to our condo in Pagosa Springs. I am very tired physically. My feet really ache. I guess the arthritis has spread to my feet.

This is the ski trail map for Purgatory Ski Resort in Colorado. Mom and Frank enjoyed many years of skiing together at various resorts all over the country. In 1986 I even went with them to ski in Innsbruck, Austria. Those last few years of her life, even before she got cancer, she had to give it up because of arthritis in her knees. My husband and I had to give it up last year as well. He also has knee problems. Mom and I learned to ski together in a dry-land skiing class in 1974. That's where she met Frank. I liked him right away and encouraged her to date him. She had been single for two years by then. I was 21 and she was 40.

I'm not sure what kind of pain Mom is having here in her feet. She is probably at her heaviest at this time, so it is possible she had plantar faciitis in her arches. When I was 40 pounds heavier, I had that.

My First Walk In Months

Thursday November 14, 1991

We are up and out for a 20-minute walk. My first in months. My hips hurt and later it turns into a backache. It will take awhile to get back into better shape. My weight gain doesn't help. Lugging 42 extra pounds around is hard on my body, my knees, hips, and feet.

Dr. Bix said I would gain weight on the kemo but I think she's wrong. I don't feel any more hungry than on the last kemo. In fact, I think I'm less hungry and each day I plan to start eating right and each day my good intentions go down the drain. Do I think I should enjoy eating whatever I want cause my days are numbered? Maybe.

This post speaks to my heart! I don't know if it's because my mom was always dieting when I was growing up, or a genetic predisposition, but I too start each day with good intentions, but by the evening they are down the drain. I continually snack after dinner, even if I have eaten healthy all day long, thereby undoing all my good behavior. I am carrying around 75 extra pounds. I have pain in my back, hips, feet (plantar faciitis) and lately even my knees.

Her last statement makes me sad. She knows that eating healthy increases her chance of beating the cancer, but she is wondering if it is all in vain anyway because she is dying.

Body Aches

Friday September 27, 1991

Frank heads for the valley early. He is picking up a paint sprayer for Paul (his son) from his old yard. Then he borrows Gary's lawnmower and mows Lemona for Open House there tomorrow and Sunday. He does a few more repairs there and returns home late afternoon.

I have taken a real day off, relaxing, trying to get my aching back under control. It's been really bad for a few days. Actually, it's real hard for me to sit so long as we did last night at dinner with our friends. I could hardly walk when I finally got up. My back, hips and knees screamed.

We go to a movie after dinner. Enjoyed it except couldn't sit still that long (1-1/2 hours)

I remember that mom had issues with her back, knees and shoulders. She received a cortisone injection in her shoulder several times to relieve pain and inflammation, and she had orthoscopic surgery on her knee in her early 50s. She faithfully did back exercises every morning to help strengthen her back and relieve the pain. Now that I am the same age I also have back issues, and just as I said 2 days ago, I cannot sit through a 2 hour movie, and it is very hard to drive long distances and still be able to walk or even move afterwards. I did not have knee issues until very recently, and have to take Naproxen (Aleve) every day to relieve the pain in my right knee and back.