I met with my hip surgeon.  He said things are healing well but, to my disappointment, it requires further healing.  That means at least six more weeks without being able to put any weight on the leg - six more weeks using a walker or wheelchair.  He made it sound like there was never a chance that I could have began walking on it already.  Since I have no recollection of his pre- or post-surgery consults I have no idea how long a break like this takes to heal.  Apparently it's at least twelve weeks.  That sucks, because I went to this appointment with the realistic expectation that he would tell me that I could begin walking...  Swing and a miss.

On the positive side, he said it appears to be healing very well.  I asked him, after everything is said and done, what kind of permanent limitations I would face.  He said if it continues to heal over the next six weeks as well as it appears to have healed the first six weeks I will make a complete recovery.  No cane.  No lifting restrictions.  Nothing.

So I guess that means the name of the game is patience.  I have no intention of disobeying his orders.  I'm not an idiot - six more weeks now is worth the possibility of permanent (leg) normalcy.  But I was so ready to begin walking or driving again.  It's just gonna be exceptionally tough, especially as spring begins.

You can view the xrays of my leg, from accident day and my 6-week checkup, here.

I just finished with the bone marrow biopsy and labs associated with my one year anniversary. It's already been one year since my transplant. We won't get any saumya until I meet with dr. O next Tuesday, but I don't ezpect any surprises. Ive been feeling well and, with the exception of my hip, things seem to be looking up.

Last week I met with Dr. Young, my infectious disease specialist. She echoed what Dr. O had told me about the clearly of the CT images. She thought I could either stay on the caps or switch to an oral antifungal. She agrees caspo seems to be doing the best job but is open to trying my other options. I chose to stay on the caspo - I really don't wanna end up with pneumonia again. She didn't seem as convinced as Dr. O that I'd need to be on it for such a long time. Definitely for now but hopefully not much longer.

I'm meeting with my hip surgeon this afternoon. Hopefully he will have good news.

Yesterday I had an appointment with Dr. Oran. She did not believe me when I told her that, except for my eyes being dry and bothersome and the sores in my mouth, I have been feeling pretty well. She asked IRael If he thought I was doing as well as I said I was, since I'm "not a complainer."

I learned that the last CT scan I had in January was completely clear. There were no signs of infection, both bacterial and fungal. I am meeting with Dr. Young 02 March to get her opinion on whether or not I can get off my IV caspofungin (and get my PICC line removed). I asked Dr. O how sue felt about stopping caspo and removing my line. Because of my history I need to remain on an antifungal indefinitely. I used to be on VFEND, an oral antifungal, but while I was on it I contracted several microorganisms, so it appears to have a limited effectiveness for me. So it seems unlikely that I would be put back on VFEND when caspo is responsible for successfully clearing my infections. Which means I wouldn't be getting rid of my line anytime soon.

That's Dr. O's take on the situation, but she will defer any decisions to Dr. Young, the infectious disease expert. I'm not really expecting her to say anything different. But we'll see. Dr. O said there is another class of oral antifungals, different from VFEND, that I haven't tried yet, so that might be an option.

I've been getting around alright, although I've been having more pain than before. When I go from a seated position to standing I have an incredible pain in my hip. I dint know if it's part of the healing process, or if something is wrong, or if maybe I'm becoming tolerant to my pain medications. I'll see if it improves in the next few days, otherwise I need to contact my physical therapist and ask what she thinks about it.

Since I'm doing well enough I won't be seeing Dr. O for two weeks. That same week I will be seeing my surgeon and having X-rays of my hip taken. I also have my one-year anniversary labs and bone marrow biopsy. Man am I not looking forward to that.

Home-sick

I saw my surgeon's nurse yesterday. He took a look at my incisions and thought they were healing nicely. I was cleared to not see my surgeon for four weeks. At that time I'll have X-rays taken and will meet with my actual surgeon to hear how he feels things are going.

I feel useless. Since I can't put any weight on my right leg and thus need to use a walker to go anywhere. That makes it virtually impossible to carry anything. So that means I rely on assistance for everything. I can't really cook, I can't do much cleaning, I can't do laundry, I can't take care of Baxter. In addition I haven't left my apartment except for clinic appointments. It is exhausting moving from my front door to the exterior of my building into a car, I couldn't imagine going someplace without using a wheelchair, like at my clinic appointments. So I don't go out; people need to come to me to visit.

I spend my days laying on the couch, watching the same shows from day to day on tv, and sleeping. I feel so useless, lonely, and trapped. I wish I could walk and get out of here. So I could resume my normal life.

It's gonna be a long four weeks.

Back in the Saddle... Figuratively, Of Course

So I've decided that I need to resume writing this blog. I know I've said that before but this time I really mean it.

As I sit here in clinic I've decided that I'm going to tell people I have a broken leg. Broken hips are for senior citizens. Since I'm not in my 60s yet it seems more appropriate I call it a broken leg. It's the truth, technically, since hips are on femurs. Plus the entirety of the implanted metal is in my femur.

Broken leg, not broken hip. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.