"The Cast"

Here I am returning from an afternoon stroll in my Herman Munster boot. (Yes, those are pj bottoms!) The weather has been beautiful the past few days, and being outside has been a pleasure even if the walk is less so. I'm going into the office on Monday via bus for a full day, so I'm trying to build up my stamina. I hope to cover some more ground over the next few days.

My appointment with Dr. Healey went well, when we finally saw him. He was running four hours behind, and when we left at 9:15 p.m., he still had 10 patients to see. Despite his overcrowded schedule, he continued to give us all the time we needed and answered all of my questions.

I will have to wear this lovely cast for the next four weeks whenever I go out, but around the house and at night, I have an aircast that runs under my heel and up each side of my ankle. I have to wear it with a sneaker or lace-up shoe, and currently I'm sporting one of Ed's size 10 sneakers. Tonight we are headed out to try to find a pair of women's sneakers that will fit over my swollen foot, which I will donate once my foot fits in my regular sneaker. (Any bets on when that will be?!) I can get around in the aircast, although I'm walking quite flat-footed. It's going to take some work to get my foot to flex properly, and I'm sure it's not going to happen without some discomfort. It is a joy to get that cast off my leg, though. I was even able to weigh myself this morning!

I go back to see Dr. Healey in a month and have an MRI done on my ankle prior to my appointment. He indicated that with all the swelling, it may be difficult to see exactly what's going on in there, but it will provide a baseline for future scans. The chance of a new tumor occuring in my knee, hip or bone in my leg is slim, according to him, but there is always the chance of a tumor recurring near where the original tumor was removed. We will have to keep on top of it with periodic scans.

In the meantime, I'll keep working toward walking like I used to do. I've been very lucky so far to experience little discomfort. Ibuprofen and a good night's sleep seem to do away with the aches and pains. I hope that continues. I'm really looking forward to taking a walk on a Florida beach.

I'm walking. Yes indeed, I'm walking...

Finally, I am up and about. Boy, it feels good to walk with just my cane, although I get worn out easily and need to build up my stamina. I've been walking non-stop since Sunday, and today I took my first walk up and down our block. Of course, I spent the entire walk looking at the sidewalk for branches, uneven concrete, stones, etc. and didn't see much of the neighborhood, but at least I got out. With it being about 42 degrees and breezy, it wasn't the best day for a stroll, but I needed to do more than simply walk around in circles on the first floor of the house.

Each new thing I attempt is scary, but eventually I get used to it. Being a pain weenie doesn't help, because I try to avoid anything that may hurt. My upper chest and upper back were really painful for several days because I was tensing up each time I took a step, anticipating pain. That has improved now that my foot has become used to the clumping around. Did I mention I'm not remotely graceful??

I owe all of my progress to Ed, my personal trainer. He's had me walk on the treadmill (I'm up to five minutes), work out on our weight machines, and walk up and down the stairs. Going up isn't too difficult, but I can't bend my left leg enough to walk down normally. If I'm still wearing this cast when I go back to work, that's going to mean a long trip, one stair at a time, down to the subway.

Monday afternoon is my follow up with Dr. Healey. Originally I hated this walking cast, but I've grown attached to it and can't imagine what it would be like if he took it away and replaced it with...nothing. I'll have to learn to walk all over again, because right now my foot doesn't move in the cast, and when I attempt to flex it when the cast is off (don't tell him I actually do take it off), it moves about half an inch up or down. Not exactly conducive to normal walking! I'll post an update here after the visit.

Our plans for a vacation have firmed up. We are going to take a trip to Florida, visit some cruise friends and spend a few days at the beach. After this ordeal, we could really use some time to simply relax, enjoy each other, and see other people. Each day at home seems to present a new challenge, and it certainly has not been a vacation! In the past six weeks, I've been out to restaurants four times and been in a friend or relative's home three times. I haven't been to a store, driven a car, seen a movie, or participated in an activity since I've been home. Thank goodness my mom has come to stay with us a few times. It gives Ed a break and gives me someone new to talk to face to face. On the other hand, I haven't cleaned or cooked a meal since my surgery, so there are a few positives!!

What has been great is keeping in touch with many of our friends via telephone and e-mail. It makes this retreat from the real world a little easier to take. Thanks for your continued support and for keeping in touch. I appreciate it more than you know.

Still Hobbling Along

I continue to recuperate at home, but haven't made much progress with walking. I have been putting some weight on my left foot as I use the crutches, and I am doing exercises for my thighs and knees. I can stand on my left foot for a few seconds, but I can't walk normally yet. I tried to take a normal step (rolling from heel through to the toe) the other day, and I could feel my foot protest loudly. I stayed off of it for two days and returned to exercising yesterday. Ed predicts that I will be walking with just a cane within 10 days, but I am not quite so confident. I'm trying to listen to my body rather than worry about the March 27 "deadline," but I feel as if I'm falling behind in my recovery. No sense in pushing it, though, as overdoing it could be a disaster.

I'm trying to imagine walking without this cast, and it actually makes my stomach clench. I wonder how long it will be before I stop worrying about twisting my ankle or walking wrong. I wish Dr. Healey had not told me the story of his patient who slipped on ice in her driveway eight years after having a similar operation and tore her tendon. I suppose once I'm up and around for a while, I'll stop obsessing about it.

Meanwhile, my mom has been staying with us the past few days to help out. It gives Ed a chance to get out, which he hasn't been doing since he didn't want to leave me alone. My good friend, Lydia, has been kind enough to "adult-sit" me at her home twice while Ed has run errands for a few hours, and Ed and I went out for dinner two weeks ago. Otherwise, I've been home, but haven't suffered from cabin fever yet. The next three days are supposed to be in the 60s, so I'll be soaking up some sun.

3/3 Follow-up

Hard to believe, but Dr. Keohan voted for no treatment. She told us she had given it a lot of thought and in the end decided that there is no proven benefit for me. Had my tumor been larger (10+ cm) or had it not been removed with clear margins, we would have been discussing treatment options, but as it stands, we're in scan and watch mode. I thought Ed was going to jump up and kiss her -- I even warned her to watch out -- and he's been grinning from ear to ear ever since. I'm still in shock, as I had made myself expect the worst. It will take a little while for the reality to set in.

I'll be having chest/abdomen/pelvis CT scans every three months with the reports and data on CD sent to her for review. My next appointment with her is at the end of May, so it looks like we might be able to take a little vacation. Hurray!!