Shall we dance?
This past weekend was our annual 2-day circle dance workshop with Stefan and Bethan Freedman from England. A few hours into the first session, all eyes turned to the door to the hall, through which had just entered one Marina C. Bear, walking (very slowly) under her own power, without cane or support.

Stefan had created a dance for this occasion, very slow, no twists or turns, to a Tibetan song from the extraordinary "Cho" album by Steve Tibbetts and Choying Drolma. And so, for the first time in two months, Marina danced. Just a little, and it left her exhausted for two days, but it is a start.

The Effexor medicine is definitely having a good effect. The initial half dosage produced a reduction in the severe nerve pain in the leg, although only for part of a day. (It is a time release tablet, presumably releasing 1/24th of its juice every hour or 1/1440th every minute). The plan is to work up to a full dosage within two weeks, hoping the common side effect of nausea isn't too bad (so far it isn't). So she'll go up to the full dosage in a day or two.

In what may be a modest setback, however, Marina actually sat at her desk and briefly looked at Email for a few minutes. There is still sufficient pain and discomfort that she won't be doing this regularly . . . but for a while there, I wondered if she might have the courage to forego it all and return to the fountain pen and the old-fashioned electric telephone.

Next doctor visits, barring unexpected developments: Dr. Misakian (primary care) March 8, and Dr. Hu (surgeon) March 15.