coup feu

"Call the coup feu," my landlady said to my complaint that it felt as if my hands were on fire, a reaction to the Taxol chemo treatment.

She wasn't the first. My physio had said the same thing when I had had radiation only none of the burning predicted  happened.

I'd heard that even doctors had recommended a coup feu, a person you telephoned to relieve pain.

After a sleepless night, I did.

She immediately put me thru to her daughter whose English was much worse than my French, but I gave my name, address, birthdate in both languages.

I was handed back to the mother and we spoke French and understood each other without a problem.

She told me to be still.

Nothing but quiet for I don't know how many minutes. I felt my hands cool.

"Call me back if you have more problems," she said.

 When I told my oncologist, she raised her eyebrows. "I don't understand how it works," she says."But I've seen it work in burn units."

I don't understand either. I don't care. My hands are still cool.