My body is very tired this weekend. It has a right to be. The week in therapy summary is all about big numbers using single-point canes: Tuesday a combined total of around 200ft was walked in four segments; Friday, 267ft was steadily, gingerly stepped in only three segments.
And after all that exhaustion, I had to do a few car transfers and a crazy toilet ballet in order to accomplish a visit to my doctor's office and provide a urine sample, which confirmed my suspicions of a developing UTI. I'm incredibly thankful, and proud of myself, that I noticed the symptoms early and avoided my usual pitfall of brushing them off as mild or insignificant, so that for once I got antibiotic without having to make a hurried trip to the ER in agonizing pain with an infection so bad I urinate blood. My history with UTI's has been that they start out mild and friendly, like I felt yesterday, and progress to the ER phase in less than 24 hrs, so it's good that I finally started paying better attention to my subtle symptoms.
So I'm resting a lot this weekend. In addition to recuperating from last week's efforts and trying to give the antibiotic time to improve my bladder discomforts, I also need to prepare my body and more importantly my mind for the challenges they will face on Monday. It's time for another MRI, so my oncology team can check on my Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma of the spine, as well as survey my liver to make sure my EHE hasn't spawned any demonic offspring there. I'm having conscious sedation this time, meaning medications to help me relax and stay calm without full anesthesia, so I don't have to go through the awkward return to consciousness with a tube shoved down my throat, and the resulting soreness that lasts for days. Aside from claustrophobia, it's always frightening to have those big machines look inside my body, and waiting to hear if they found anything dire. I had a dream last week that there had been a metastasis, evidence of the degree to which my subconscious mind worries about it, even if my conscious mind stays focused on rehab and daily life.
At least if the week starts out with an MRI, you know it can only get better from there.
So much for you to always be aware of and alert to in order to keep yourself as healthy as possible for your constant battle. We'll be thinking of you and praying for the best possible results of the MRI on Monday. Keep resting and rebuilding your strength. You are an amazingly formidable foe of your EHE!
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