I
continue to feel good. My last treatment was a
week ago. Now I am adjusting to my new
“reality.” Before I needed my cane for
everywhere I went; now I just need my ankle brace.
Before I needed someone with me all the time for safety,
now I just need someone to help with things I can’t
do.
Now
I’m safe enough that Bill, my caregiver, comes every
day to help with food and driving etc., but Hana and I
are home alone this week. Abi is in California and
Zachary is in New York.
So
I’m no longer “coping” but starting to spend more
energy looking around.
It’s
amazing to me how much time there is in a day when I’m
not “coping.” My mental and spiritual state of
being is still catching up to my new physical status.
I’ve
been given a gift. The gift to heal. The
gift to recreate myself given what I want now.
Medical
Update
From
here, the radiation doctor wants to see me in mid
August. My follow up MRI will be the first week in
September. Then the plan is six more months of
chemo. Although the follow up is in September, the
scans only show the gross physical results of the
treatment. My experience has always been that my
body ‘knows’ what’s before any scan does, and I
feel so far I am well.
I’m
also working with Doctor Mark in CA on ideas that I will
write about later.
The
PT (PM&R) doctor in Dayton hooked me up with Andrews
University in Dayton. They will help me get a more
normal walking gait by suspending me over a treadmill in
a harness. He explained that my brain and spinal
chord have learned a compensated gait for a left side
weakness that I can unlearn. The harness and
treadmill is a new and promising technique.
Over
the next month I’ll be tapering the steroids.
Then we’ll look at the 5 seizure meds I’m taking.
In
the meantime my speech is still a little slurred at
times but understandable.
That’s
it for now.
Thanks
again for your warm thoughts, prayers and kindness!
With
blessings, hope and love,
Dan
http://katzstein.com
http://life.katzstein.com