Apologies to all of our readers, but we realized today that it’s been over two months since our last blog entry, at which time I had only been in rehab for two days and was still learning how to walk. A lot has changed since then.
It’s been a bit of a bumpy road since leaving rehab. I was at home for a week before being admitted to the Owen Sound hospital once again. This time it was for a bladder infection that landed me in the CCU for a week of IV antibiotics. I was originally supposed to start chemo on December 27th, so when we finally got blood work the first week of April that confirmed that I didn’t have any infections and that my liver was sufficiently recovered, I was able to start. So far, no side effects and I feel good.
The last MRI in March revealed that the tumour has continued to grow, but that wasn’t unexpected news, given the delay in starting chemo. This regrowth is responsible for some vision problems I’ve been experiencing, which limit my peripheral vision and make reading a bit tricky. We also learned there is a new spot on the cerebellum, but we don’t know much about it at this point. The next MRI is at the beginning of June.
Between March and now, I have been gradually increasing the distance I cover in my walks. Having the dogs helps and I walk them between 3 and 4 kilometers a day. However, we recently spent the weekend in Detroit during which time I walked an average of 7 km a day and even put in two days where I walked 10 km. Pretty impressive for a guy who couldn’t even stand on his own a few months ago.
I’ve also been seeing a physiotherapist once a week who has designed a program to help me work on my balance and strength, not only in my legs, but throughout my entire body, which still feels pretty weak at times. Sometimes I’m frustrated with where I’m at, but when I’m reminded of where I was, I’m grateful for how far I’ve come already.
I’m pleased to report that rather than spending my time in hospitals these past 6 weeks I’ve been spending it watching baseball, coaching Henry’s baseball team and catching up with friends and family.
