Here's where we are now. Kim had surgery on December 15th and has been slowly recovering. She's been diligent about her physical therapy, her exercises, and taking overall good care of herself. She moves better and better each day but she is in constant pain. The doctors aren't sure if it's nerve related due to the fact that she's sleeping only on one side and over compensating for the one side or if it's residual neuropathy. No matter, her arm hurts a lot most of the day. Even the clothing on her skin by her wrist is painful. She complains very little but nearly five weeks of pain has taken a toll. I try to offer some comfort though massage isn't all that helpful. Mostly I just try to be a dork and distract her from it. I'm good at that, Dr Dork.
Acupuncture has provided some relief and I'll bet the slight change to warmer days will be well received, too. We could all use a break from the cold. Her arm pain has kept her off the bike and limited exercise overall though tomorrow we hope to get her onto an indoor bike trainer and work on some fitness. She says that walking and light exercise help her arm to feel slightly better so the hope is to move some blood through her system and get those exercise endorphins doing their thing. I only have to help now and then with sweaters on and off though carrying bags, lifting things, and reaching up into cabinets is still difficult if not impossible.
But I do feel as though a breakthrough is imminent. Therapy, exercise, warmer temperatures, and a return to normal life will converge into relief from this nagging arm pain. Now, speaking about normal life, her hair is growing back. Like, really fast. It was just about a week-and-a-half ago that she took off her pink wig and her scalp looked really dark. I investigated and discovered that it was hair poking through. A few days later and it was sprouting out. About a week after that she had the tiniest case of bed head you've ever seen. Today it's got a pretty even growth overall and is starting to lay down just a bit. It's still a buzz cut and very much in the Sigourney Weaver as Ripley in Alien 3 or Demi Moore in G. I. Jane though it damn sure looks like a hairstyle someone would choose. I think she could walk out of the house any time now and fit right in. Again, we'll miss the pink wig but Kim is ready to be done with it. It's still a little too cold out for her to go out without the wig or a hat but she looks really good. And so far the hair growing in seems to be the same color and type as before. There's been talk that it may come back curly so we'll keep everyone updated. Amazing how quickly it's coming back.
Kim has been taking Glutamine supplements since the start of her chemotherapy treatments to reduce the severity of mucositis and neuropathy. Mucositis is the painful inflammation of the mucous membranes in the digestive tract and radiation is a further cause of the condition. Oral mucositis is also a common side effect though Kim has only experienced the digestive tract side effects. She's been mixing in a scoop of powder with some cereal and almond milk three times daily but is now down to just one. Research has shown that this supplement provides relief from symptoms of chest radiation so she'll stay on glutamine through the end of the treatment. Further new research also shows that honey is a great natural therapy to precent side effects from chemotherapy and radiation induced mucositis. Some other side effects she's prepared for are skin irritation, fatigue, and further lymphedema. Her doctors are on top of everything and we'll keep an eye on things.
Kim's nutritionist mentioned that her pink wig served to inspire a new patient of hers. The woman is a young mom and didn't want to frighten her children with her hair loss or the sudden appearance of a new wig. Kim's success with the pink wig and how she let the kids be part of the selection process inspired this woman to do the same. It allowed for a calm transition for the family and now the wig is a fun part of the process. I'm gonna miss that pink wig and the light it shined amidst all this darkness though I am excited to see Kim's new curly, golden locks.
Kim's radiation schedule will be every morning at 7:30 AM. It's a really early start but we chose this time on the advice of several people in the process. First, it's great to get it out of the way and still have a full day ahead with no running around. Next, being first into the clinic means they are on time and ready to go. Kim has already been in for her set up so the visits will be quick in-and-outs allowing her to get to work even a bit early. Plus, there's no other patients jamming up the system in front of you. Kim and I made the choice for this early time together knowing that it would inspire us both to be on top of our days early. We'll get up, make a good breakfast, and begin our days even earlier than usual. By the time 6 weeks have passed we'll have a routine in place to make the most of those early spring days.
Thank you for allowing the long break, we're back on schedule. Hair we go...
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