Sunday, February 17, 2019

A different kind of Marathon


Image result for image journeyNormally this time of year I would be well into my training for the Boston Marathon and you would be getting regular whining updates on all the trials and tribulations of weather and injuries.   As most of you may have surmised from my last blog, I will not be doing Boston this year, or for that matter, any other marathon in the foreseeable future.    Despite that, I thought it would be good to provide updates of a different kind as I make the journey through recovery.    Not sure where this journey will take me but who knows, I may someday reach the point where another marathon would be an option.

If my recovery has taught me anything it’s to look at my health from a totally new perspective.   Before I got sick I seldom worried about being healthy.  I was over 60 with a good cholesterol level, didn’t smoke, a heart rate in the 40’s, and regularly training for and running marathons.   I was seldom sick and even skipped getting an annual flu shot (a real risk taker).

It’s now a year since I got out of the hospital and I feel like the journey to recovery is a never-ending story.    In running terms, it is not a sprint, it’s an ultra-marathon…without a defined finish line.  Great thing about races is you always know how far you have to go.   In the case of this recovery there is neither a defined goal (how much you will get back) or time frame (how long it will take).   People say it the not the destination it’s the journey….right now I’d like to skip the journey and get right back to being healthy. 

So instead of one big goal I’m setting up a series of smaller goals that are more attainable in the near term.  These little milestones will make up my journey back.   If you are willing, I’d like you to come along with me as I blog my way through the journey.

The first three mini-milestones are:
-         Building up the immune system so I can get vaccinated
-         Jogging a mile without stopping (or coughing up a lung at the end)
-         Building my arm strength enough to lift a gallon of milk with one hand without straining  

In the category of “things they don’t tell you when you have a transplant”, you lose all your antibodies to traditional diseases.  As a result, you have to be revaccinated like a new born.  In the interim you are susceptible to any childhood diseases (measles, mumps, whooping cough, etc.) the grandchildren might bring home.     Unfortunately to be revaccinated your immune system has to reach a certain level or it can’t generate the protective antibodies.   My system has not reached that level yet.   First time I wanted a flu shot and I can’t get it.

Jogging a mile is pretty self-explanatory.  Seems pretty straight forward, put one foot in front of the other.  Unfortunately, I’ve lost the muscle strength, coordination and stamina that I used to take for granted.   My attempts are like watching a 1 year old try to run.   Cute in a baby, very embarrassing for an adult.

Speaking of embarrassing, having your arm shake like a paint can shaker when trying to pour milk from a gallon container into a glass is right up there (not to mention messy).    I thought it was just my arms but in physical therapy I’ve learned it’s my shoulders and back as well.

Some of my future goals include getting off steroids, getting rid of mouth sores, getting off stomach meds, getting my sense of taste back, maybe getting hair again, and jogging a 5K.

On bad days I worry that where I am is the best it will get.  On the really bad days I remind myself I’m lucky to still be on the green side of the grass.     I also make a point to remember the courage I have seen in the pediatric cancer wards…. a true inspiration.

Stay tuned and I’ll keep you updated on the progress I’m making as well as our accomplishments helping children with cancer through Help in the Nick of Time.

Cheers
Dave

No comments: