Cancer/illnesses, and caregiver, support thread

[abscate]

I was shocked at the day ticket price at Big Sky but it was worth it for a lifelist checkbox.

[gnalan]

A few updates...

I've been having problems with my right ankle not wanting to bend upwards, and I've had x-rays and an MRI so far with no real answers. I see a podiatrist Wednesday for a surgery consultation to scope, and possibly shave the bone(s) down, to regain normal range of motion.

Still trying to get more progress from my knees with the help of PT. The left one is up to 80 degrees now, and the right one is at 72 degrees. My Ortho said he'd like to see me get to 110 degrees. I'm happy to just be walking again, and being more self-sufficient, but I don't see why I can't get to 110 degrees if I keep working at it. Right now my ankle is keeping my right knee from bending any farther than it is, and I'm still walking on the ball of my foot because of it, but I'm still going out and walking around a quarter of a mile each day.

I'm getting faster, and stronger. I can do the quarter in 9 minutes now, down from 11 minutes, so I've gained quite a few horsepower.

I've also put on some much needed weight. When I was stuck in bed I dropped to about 100 pounds, and I was at 115 before my injury. I'm at 121 so far, and would like to get between 135 and 150. I weighed 110 when I graduated 22 years ago. I was up to 150 a few years ago, and was happy at that weight, so close to that would be nice to see again.

I've slowly been working on my car again, thankfully, which I'm enjoying. I did accidentally stab myself in the hand with a screwdriver that slipped, but that's a normal occurrence.

[volvolugnut]

A few updates...

I can do the quarter in 9 minutes now, down from 11 minutes, so I've gained quite a few horsepower.

I like this statement.

Keep striving to improve.

vovlolugnut

[gnalan]

I have a night splint to wear on my foot to help stretch things out and get my ankle moving more. I'll also be doing PT for my ankle, separate from my knees. Lots of moving parts in the works, and lots of work to get the parts moving again.

The podiatrist wants to try as much as can be done before resorting to surgery, which is fine with me. If I can avoid surgery I'm all for it.

6 weeks I go back to check my progress, and see what the next step is, if I can't regain normal motion with the splint and PT.

[gnalan]

My mom saw her kidney specialist today, and there's nothing else they can do for her. They said with her health issues that she's not a candidate for a transplant, and gave her about a year before her kidneys completely shutdown and stop working completely.

I'm still not even sure it's really sank in for any of us yet, at least not fully.

[Krons]

Sorry to hear about your Mom. My wife has a good friend with kidney issues that went through dialysis and a transplant, and is now facing dialysis again. It's a tough process but I hope your Mom can maintain a positive attitude through it.

Glad you are gaining range of motion. I can't help but relate your PT journey to some frequent oil changes to de-sludge a Volvo 5-cylinder.

Keep at it and you'll have those joints running smooth as a Volvo!

[abscate]

My neighbor was on twice weekly dialysis for 10 years. Lived a good life in his sunset until the end. I shuffled him to/ from when the weather was icy

This is a bit but dark, but at the end, at age 95 he decided he had had enough so he simply signed a refusal of service , checked into the hospital for a week, and passed away in 7 days. The simplicity of this emotionally , operationally, and financially was food for deep thought.

[gnalan]

Thank you. She's taking the news the best she can. I'm not sure what'll happen when her kidneys do give up. I'm sure there's some kind of plan in place, but I won't know until that time comes.

95 is a nice long life, and I'm sure the decision he made wasn't easy. My mom is only 61, and with her other health issues she has a pretty rough time most days. She has early onset Alzheimer's, that she's had for years, which makes it hard for her to form a sentence at times. She has episodes where she forgets how to even do simple things, like opening a bottle of water to take a drink.

Desludging my knees sounds odd lol. I would say it's like a dragging brake shoe that grabs onto the drum and prevents it from moving freely without some force required to break it loose to get it moving again. I'm sure there's some other car analogies that'll fit just as well, and I welcome those that anyone may have. I like to use humor as a coping mechanism.

Thank you all for your support, and for your kind words.

[matthew1]

Hang in there, dude. Keep writing here, it's good for you.

[foggydogg]

The Doctor at VA that has been on the point doing my chemo procedures just told me he's retiring at the end of June. He hasn't quite attained full Social Security age, he's just tired of dealing with VA hierarchy over the last four years or so, once the Secretaries office went political. Before that, it was just the usual drudgery dealing with a large government agency - something he's done for over thirty years. I'm having trouble processing what will come next, since there isn't anybody else in the VA system in DC that can treat my vanishingly rare form of melanoma. I may be faced with the prospect of going to Philly for routine treatments - that's where I went for the first two surgeries and radiation - so instead of a two hour road trip, it will be closer to three, and, of course, then I'll be in Philadelphia. On a positive note, VA has given me both initial vaccines and two boosters against SARS, and I have managed to avoid being infected so far.