in the waiting room

Chatted to others in the radiation waiting room today. First time. Think it was a comment about the traffic which started it. This lovely bouncy older lady said it was if no-one was on the roads, she had got here so quickly; I responded how I had been stuck in a jam cos of a robot (traffic light) not working and then we started chatting.
She had also had breast cancer - i kept staring at her yellow/blonde hair but it looked like her own, or was it a wig? - but had had eight chemo sessions as opposed to my four. And her last four were not the AC chemo I had had but something more radical - as a result, she had lost one thumb nail (she showed me where it was growing back), two of her toenails, had temporarily lost some of her hearing - gathered when she mentioned how even her daughter sounded differently on the phone that that had upset her a lot - and still had little to no sensation on her fingertips and her toes - all walking felt it was on sand, she said.
Fakking hell. I had almost had one split nail but it never did break into half and apart from slighly sore arms and one purplish-veined hand, have no permanent effects of the chemo.
And I had no surgery. Felt really guilty when I said that. I must be one of the view people who had breast cancer who did not need surgery.
I am lucky.
Which is not to say am not miserable. But that is not to do with my health but the damn workplace. Am sooooo tired but only when I am there. Funny that.

some problems

Was eating my pasta lunch - a touch of garlic and one tomato sauce and a little mayo, so effectively plain - when suddenly I realised it hurt when I swallowed the food.
Stopped eating and phoned the oncology centre: it's either ulcers or thrush. Luckily not sore if I swallow generally, only if I swallow food. Was told to take my temperature and if it's high, to contact them or my GP for antibiotics.
My temp is fine. (Carry my thermometer in my bag).
Now using that yellow gunge all the time - but this time swallowing it.
Tried some pasta again but it did not work. That is, it hurt even more.
Going to buy some chicken soup for supper. Hope that goes down ok.

Oh and re my nails. Asked the oncology sister if my nail looks like it could split in half, could it happen? Oh yes, she said. And worse still, there is nothing I can do to prevent it.

Ironically, feeling ok. Not nauseous or dizzy or anything. Just gotta get this yellow gunge to work, the throat pain to disappear and my nails to behave.