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Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Radiation Consultation, Physical Therapy, and Wooden Railings

Yesterday, on Dr. Bonomi’s recommendation, I had a consulting appointment with Dr. Gaura Marwha, a radiation oncologist, to get his opinion of whether radiation to the Cauda Aquina (Horse’s Tail) would remove or reduce the numbness I feel in my left leg and foot.  After checking my reflexes and hearing my history with the cancer dispersing through the meningeal lining of the brain and spine, his recommendation is to just be watchful and stay on top of the MRIs.  He said that the best the radiation would be able to do is prevent the cancer in the meningeal lining from getting worse.  He thinks that the Tarceva and the physical therapy are the best hope for the numbness to go away and the balance and strength to get better.  I was not surprised by this conclusion. 

I think I have found a good way to handle the rigors of the physical therapy as of today.  I had been pushing hard to do the exercises quickly and efficiently over the past couple of weeks and I’ve wiped myself out to total exhaustion.  Today, I took a different approach.  I was deliberately slow and took several rest breaks throughout the 3 hour therapy session.  I was able to stay fairly fresh and complete all the exercises the therapists wanted me to do. 

Since 10:00 a.m., we’ve had a couple very skilled men putting in railings for me to help me go up and down the stairs.  They just left here at 7:00 putting finishing touches on the railings.  They’ve come up with some really great solutions.  You’ve never seen so many wooden railings in a house!  But they are beautiful wood and the house still looks good.


Overall, it seems that things continue to get better.

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