Whats Up This Week

On Wednesday I get the results of the last MRI Scan. As always I am a bit apprehensive but don't think there should be any bad news. I think they are going to use the scope again to check things out and I want to ask them about what is blocking my throat.

On the swallowing front I can swallow ice cream and soups a teaspoon at at time. I have also tried this ice cream called Dibbs that is essentially small bite sized chunks of ice cream covered in chocolate. These I eat in very small quantities. Its better than ice cream because it forces me to chew it a bit but still melts completely. This is getting my jaw muscles working. The first time it was hard to even open my mouth. Keep in mind that it has been 6 months since I had to chew anything. One interesting thing I have noticed is that swallowing thicker soups like cream of mushroom is easier than thinner liquids like water. I still can't consume anything solid but just being able to get down a few spoonfuls of soup at a time is progress. The way I am approaching this is the same way I am approaching my physical rehabilitation. Take it slow one step at a time. With swallowing the goal is to just use those muscles in some manner a few times a day. It isn't a lot of fun at this point but I think it is a necessary step to go through.

On the physical side I don't think I have talked about this much but part of the result of 6 months of inactivity and the weight loss is that my muscles, in particular my leg muscles, have really diminished. With my legs it was at the point where just standing up from a kneeling position was difficult as was climbing stairs. This week I started doing some training with a Wii Fit. I have only been using it for a few days but I can say this is just what I needed to get started. The balance exercises actually do work your leg muscles and in my case it allows me to do a little or as much as I can handle at the time.

One of the things that kept me from starting other exercises for my legs is that most of them involve some sort of motions like knee bends and such that I just couldn't do. With the Wii Fit and the balance exercises and games there are activities that I can do that benefit the leg muscles without worrying about starting something like knee bends that I can't finish. I have already noticed some positive results just after a few days of using it. Right now I am doing 20 - 25 minutes a day. At first I just did the games to get my legs used to do any type of activity. The games may seem simple but after 20 minutes you do start to break a sweat. In the last two days I added in some of the most basic yoga poses. One, the warrior I could do OK. Another, the tree I think its called, would have been a good candidate for America's Funniest Home Videos. You have to stand on one leg and needless to say I wasn't able to hold that pose in any type of balance position at all. One of the nice things about the way Wii Fit works is that you can choose the activities you do. So for most of the workout I can keep focused on the simple exercises that I can do but I am able to add in one or two that require more effort every now and then to see how I do.

After this week I have a few more appointments. I meet with the medical oncologist office for a status check and then with the speech therapist for an evaluation later in the week. The radiation oncologist office was able to get that appointment moved up a week. I will post more information on how those appointments went next week.