Day 11 of Chemo
We have now finished the 11th day of the UCLA trial. There have been a few relatively modest side effects so far - Keith developed the expected rash about 7 days in and yesterday suffered his first bout of diarrhea. We had been advised to anticipate both so neither was much of a surprise. His blood work seems to be holding steady - and we will go for our 3rd round of Temsirolimus next Monday.
Physical therapy paid us a visit last Saturday and gave Keith a number of exercises which can be done either sitting on the edge of the bed or with support in a standing position. We were also able to find a nice used walker at our local thrift store. He is not able to walk on his own at present and we rely on a wheelchair for our outings. The walker is useful for doing "laps" around the bedroom as well a providing a stable platform for exercises.
Ellen, the amazing acupuncturist who has worked with us over the last 2 years, was kind enough to visit us at home on Wednesday afternoon and did some very helpful work with Keith. She had wonderful advice on ways to help Keith's brain reconnect with his left arm and leg - the key is to keep using what he has so that his brain begins to rewire and remember its signals even as it is recovering from the trauma of surgery and fighting the new tumor.
Keith had been a bit reticent to be "needled" - he has played the pin cushion role for a steady stream of white coats over the last month. He succumbed to Ellen's gentle persuasion and her touch was magic. Wednesday evening he got a needed burst of energy and was able to venture out to catch Samantha's set at Tangier.
We continue to have a steady stream of visitors - all wonderful and all much appreciated. There are times when Keith is hardly able to speak - sometimes he is barely able to wake up - but he whispers to me often how touched he feels and that he has amazing friends - and he
does!
Physical therapy paid us a visit last Saturday and gave Keith a number of exercises which can be done either sitting on the edge of the bed or with support in a standing position. We were also able to find a nice used walker at our local thrift store. He is not able to walk on his own at present and we rely on a wheelchair for our outings. The walker is useful for doing "laps" around the bedroom as well a providing a stable platform for exercises.
Keith continues to feel very weak -- he still naps on and off most of each day and is not up to much prolonged conversation. For now, he simply has very little energy. The Monday outing to UCLA exhausts him - but he is steadfast in his resolve to do small bits of exercise throughout each day as he can.
Ellen, the amazing acupuncturist who has worked with us over the last 2 years, was kind enough to visit us at home on Wednesday afternoon and did some very helpful work with Keith. She had wonderful advice on ways to help Keith's brain reconnect with his left arm and leg - the key is to keep using what he has so that his brain begins to rewire and remember its signals even as it is recovering from the trauma of surgery and fighting the new tumor.
Keith had been a bit reticent to be "needled" - he has played the pin cushion role for a steady stream of white coats over the last month. He succumbed to Ellen's gentle persuasion and her touch was magic. Wednesday evening he got a needed burst of energy and was able to venture out to catch Samantha's set at Tangier.
We continue to have a steady stream of visitors - all wonderful and all much appreciated. There are times when Keith is hardly able to speak - sometimes he is barely able to wake up - but he whispers to me often how touched he feels and that he has amazing friends - and he
does!
posted by Keith and Kathy | 6:21 PM
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