July 14th - Day One of Appointments
Even though I was spending part of my birthday at UofM Hospital, it was a good day.
My darling wife made me breakfast and it was GOOD!
My first appointment was with the Physical Therapist at 2pm. This appointment went really well. We talked about how I have been feeling and if I have had any dizziness recently. I told the only activity she had given me that caused any problems was while I was walking and turning my head to the right or left. It is not a major problem, but it does alter my step pattern. She had me show her what I was doing, and she agreed it was very minor and I was turning my head rather quickly, so it made sense. Told her I tried it on the treadmill once, and she said that was a big NO NO (I am paraphrasing).
We went through a couple of the other exercises and she was very happy with the results. She game me another exercise to try while there, and it to was no problem. She then told me that I should be OK to drive. I told her good since I have been driving for two weeks now. Don't recall them ever telling me that I needed their approval to drive, oops!
Overall she was very happy with my progress, so 1st appointment = good news.
Finished that appointment at 2:40 and my MRI was not scheduled until 4pm. We figured we would head over and hopefully they could take me early. The receptionist did not think it was very likely, but she would check. They took my back at roughly 3:10 to change and about 3:30 for the MRI. Being early does pay off sometimes. The MRI lasted close to an hour, with an injection of contrast towards the end. I was hoping to be done with needles for awhile, but they had one waiting for me. UGH. Won't know the results of this one until I meet with the Dr on the 15th.
I am confident that everything will be fine when I see the Dr on the 15th. Appointment is at 3:30 PM EST so keep me in your prayers. I have tested for a CSF leak a couple of times over the last couple of days with no issues. My thought is that they main discussion will be on my energy level and when I return back to work.
Going into this week I felt great, but that changed some on Monday. I started out Monday feeling good and spent about 2 hours doing yard work. Most of that time I was riding my lawn tractor cutting the grass, but then I walked around a bit with the weed killer, bug spray, and weed whacker. It was very hot and humid outside when I did this, even though it was early. I then took a break and had lunch and rested on the couch with Alexis and the kids. Spent probably 2 hours doing almost nothing. After that I spent some time int he garage preparing my boat for fishing. I installed the electronics and put some sealant on where we had some minor leaks last year. When all was said and done, I was exhausted Monday evening. It also took most of Tuesday for me to recover.
Seeing how much this took out of me, leaves me a bit concerned. Will I have the energy to return to work and not collapse as soon as I get home? This is an unknown, that no one can answer for me. Every person responds differently. As I move forward with getting back into my daily life, I will need to make sure I listen to my body and rest when I need to (Mom I am listening to you).
My biggest concerns at this point are that the CSF Leak returns and that they find that they did not get all of the tumor (the Drs believe they did). Plus I am sure their are still other risks that I am not aware of.
I have done everything I am capable of doing, and have laid it at the feet of Jesus. He is in control of everything and has done so much for me already, I know He will continue to take care of me.
Please continue to pray for my recovery. I have come a long way, but still have more to overcome.
Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings and I pray that God touches each of your lives and meets a need.
In Christ's Name,
Robert
My darling wife made me breakfast and it was GOOD!
My first appointment was with the Physical Therapist at 2pm. This appointment went really well. We talked about how I have been feeling and if I have had any dizziness recently. I told the only activity she had given me that caused any problems was while I was walking and turning my head to the right or left. It is not a major problem, but it does alter my step pattern. She had me show her what I was doing, and she agreed it was very minor and I was turning my head rather quickly, so it made sense. Told her I tried it on the treadmill once, and she said that was a big NO NO (I am paraphrasing).
We went through a couple of the other exercises and she was very happy with the results. She game me another exercise to try while there, and it to was no problem. She then told me that I should be OK to drive. I told her good since I have been driving for two weeks now. Don't recall them ever telling me that I needed their approval to drive, oops!
Overall she was very happy with my progress, so 1st appointment = good news.
Finished that appointment at 2:40 and my MRI was not scheduled until 4pm. We figured we would head over and hopefully they could take me early. The receptionist did not think it was very likely, but she would check. They took my back at roughly 3:10 to change and about 3:30 for the MRI. Being early does pay off sometimes. The MRI lasted close to an hour, with an injection of contrast towards the end. I was hoping to be done with needles for awhile, but they had one waiting for me. UGH. Won't know the results of this one until I meet with the Dr on the 15th.
I am confident that everything will be fine when I see the Dr on the 15th. Appointment is at 3:30 PM EST so keep me in your prayers. I have tested for a CSF leak a couple of times over the last couple of days with no issues. My thought is that they main discussion will be on my energy level and when I return back to work.
Going into this week I felt great, but that changed some on Monday. I started out Monday feeling good and spent about 2 hours doing yard work. Most of that time I was riding my lawn tractor cutting the grass, but then I walked around a bit with the weed killer, bug spray, and weed whacker. It was very hot and humid outside when I did this, even though it was early. I then took a break and had lunch and rested on the couch with Alexis and the kids. Spent probably 2 hours doing almost nothing. After that I spent some time int he garage preparing my boat for fishing. I installed the electronics and put some sealant on where we had some minor leaks last year. When all was said and done, I was exhausted Monday evening. It also took most of Tuesday for me to recover.
Seeing how much this took out of me, leaves me a bit concerned. Will I have the energy to return to work and not collapse as soon as I get home? This is an unknown, that no one can answer for me. Every person responds differently. As I move forward with getting back into my daily life, I will need to make sure I listen to my body and rest when I need to (Mom I am listening to you).
My biggest concerns at this point are that the CSF Leak returns and that they find that they did not get all of the tumor (the Drs believe they did). Plus I am sure their are still other risks that I am not aware of.
I have done everything I am capable of doing, and have laid it at the feet of Jesus. He is in control of everything and has done so much for me already, I know He will continue to take care of me.
Please continue to pray for my recovery. I have come a long way, but still have more to overcome.
Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings and I pray that God touches each of your lives and meets a need.
In Christ's Name,
Robert
Comments
Post a Comment