Getting Well

If it's good enough for Shane it's good enough for Bill.  I bet they gave him his own private room though.
Bill Clinton Has Heart Surgery At Columbia Presbyterian

Not much new to report.  I am walking everyday 15-25 mins outside.  It has increased my appetite and now I am starting to eat regular sized portions and more snacks.  I have also started working with a physical therapist on regaining my strength. 

Thanks so much for all the get well cards, posts, emails, phone calls and care packages.  Your continued concern keeps my spirits up.  As my energy returns I hope to respond more readily. 

New dietary restrictions

I know so many of you are eager to help us out with meals and care packages, so I wanted to pass on Shane's new list of dietary restrictions.  He was already lactose intolerant, so he can't eat anything with milk, including milk chocolate.  Here's the list of other restrictions from his ileostomy guidebook:

• Unpeeled Apples
• Broccoli
• Raw Cabbage  
• Cauliflower
  
• Celery
• Coleslaw
• Coconut
• Corn
• Dried fruit
• Grapes
• Mushrooms
• Nuts
• Raw Onions 
• Spicy foods
• Again, Shane doesn't eat anything with milk in it.

If you've already sent some of these things, don't worry, I don't have any dietary restrictions and I'm willing to buy bigger pants.

Starting the weekend off with help from friends and a pep talk

Our friend Marty came from California to visit this weekend, and we feel very lucky to have his company.  He brought us real tortilla chips, avocados, organic chocolate, and good coffee from California.  He also did three loads of laundry and kept us company for the better part of the day.  My classmate Nina also came over and dropped off some supplies.  In the afternoon, we went to see Shane's surgeon, who said that he is generally satisfied with Shane's progress.  He said Shane needs to eat more and suggested that a small amount of activity each day, such as a walk around the block, would help stimulate his appetite.  With more nutrition, his body would heal faster and Shane would regain some energy.  The surgeon also recommended another CAT scan on Monday to check on Shane's healing and make sure fluid isn't building up again in the area of infection.  The doctor also sensed that we are a bit weary and suggested we take the long view: even though the recovery has been difficult, this will pass and a year from now we won't even remember a time when Shane didn't have an appetite.  He said we should focus on the fact that Shane's pathology report looked very favorable - the chance that Shane's cancer will re-occur is low.

Update from the home front

Shane's recovery has been slow since he came home, much slower than we expected.  Shane's surgeon did say this was to be expected - about 10% of people who have this surgery experience an infection and go through a slower, more difficult recovery.  Shane has not had much of an appetite.  I've been trying to entice him with homemade meals, with limited success.  He's been eating about 1200 calories a day.  He also lost a lot of strength (and a lot of weight) while he was in the hospital, so just getting out of bed in the morning takes a lot of energy. Since he opted not to go to in-patient rehabilitation, he will have out-patient rehab instead.  That should start at the end of this week or beginning of next week. Once he is strong enough, he will go to a physical therapy clinic.  The doctors say his strength and energy will improve once his nutrition improves, but it takes a while to begin eating normally again after abdominal surgery.  The visiting nurse has been coming every other day, which has been great.  She ordered all the medical supplies that we need to have on hand at home. Shane will see his surgeon on Friday for a check up to see how his infection is healing.  A home health aide will begin visiting for about 10 hours a week, starting Monday.  He/she will help us out with basic chores around the house.  Shane's oncologist says the earliest she would begin his next round of chemo is the first week of March.

Do a load of laundry?

Hi everyone, It's Alex.  I know many of you have had trouble accessing our "Losta Helping Hands" website where we put up posts when we need help with chores.  So, I'm also posting here.  If any of you have time to do a load of laundry today, please call Shane to arrange a time to pick up.  (510) 282-1992  We have a few bedding items that we can't send to the pick-up/drop-off laundry because their dryers are too hot and they will roast our stuff.