Any Wisdom Out There

As already mentioned by someone, my husband started to complain of the same weakness.  It turned out to be a blood clot.  Have them check for that so they can catch it early.

Best of luck and God Bless

Stacey

I am beginning to learn the dastardly effects of radiation.  My wife is 16 months from diagnosis, off of chemo at 12 months, and tumor area is showing up clear on MRI's.  But flair is showing increased damage from radiation which appears as an expanding hazy nebulous cloud in each MRI.  The result appears to be increased balance instability, some difficulty walking, going very slow up and down stairs, and some increased confusion.  Nowhere close to the condition of distancerunner's wife but certainly some noticeable effects.

Thanks everyone,

Knew there was lots of wisdom in this group.  Do think it's probably long term effects of radiation after reading Hope's web site.  Plus the NO concurs.  Will keep an eye for blood clot activity and suggest he consider the orthotic. 

We really don't have time for this cancer.  Praying for "time" as we have two sick very young grandkids and desperately want to support them and their parents.  Plus the elderly grandmas need us/me.

Hugs to all!!  

Jon4156,

Sounds like we're on similiar paths.  Really sorry to hear this!!!  Dan is such a fall risk I'm on hyper-alert.  And it's happened so quickly, thou not as fast as original diagnosis.  Seem to remember your wife used/uses treadmill and did lots of situps. 

Bottom line: "cancer sucks".

Pam

Yes, my wife is still using her treadmill but at a reduced pace.  I believe she is up to 3mph for 45 minutes now.  No more push-ups because she doesn't have the strength anymore.  She just started sit-ups again but was complaining a couple nights ago about her neck being sore due to the position of hands behind the neck, so she's probably pulling on her neck instead of using her back and stomach muscles to lift her torso.

The radiation effects we are seeing are relatively minor inconveniences compared to what some other people are dealing with.  But having been partners for 30 years I do notice them and can see them getting worse as I watch the MRI images show more radiation damage to her brain.  I can only hope it stops before things get much worse.  Her symtoms manifest as slower walking, difficulty in recovering if she gets off balance, confusion regarding time of day and day of week, and inability to cope with minute details.  Last week we attended a funeral and when we got to the funeral home I noticed the neckline of my wifes dress was shorter in the back than in the front.  I could also see a tag in the front and so questioned her about it.  She had put the dress on backwards.  It's little things like this that we are dealing with.  If she concentrates on what she is doing (including walking) she does much better, but for many of the mundane things we do in life (walking, dressing) we tend not to concentrate on them, which for her can end up being a problem.

A word of warning for those reading this, my wife tried to get back into her exercise routine much too quickly and paid a price for it.  At diagnosis she was doing 5mph for an hour on the treadmill and when she felt ready to get back onto it she resumed at the pace she left off with.  She got overheated and dizzy, went into the shower to cool off and proceeded to pass out with a loud bang.

Not having learned her lesson on the treadmill, she attempted to do some push-ups and collapsed on the floor during the first one because she no longer had the strength to hold up her body.  She damaged her shoulder socket which required a painful cortison shot and physical therapy.  Prior to diagnosis she did about 20-30 push-ups each morning.

If you are an exerciser you will not be able to perform as you did before diagnosis.  Take it slow and easy to build up your endurance again.  You'll get there, it just takes time.

traditional situps would not be recommended. As mentioned they put a lot of strain on the neck and lower back. One of the best low impact core exercises is the bicycle. Just have her lay on her back and pretend she is riding a bike. For a slightly advanced version have her hold her arms straight out in front of her as if she's trying to sit up and just hold it at a slight angle there.

"The radiation effects we are seeing are relatively minor inconveniences compared to what some other people are dealing with. But having been partners for 30 years I do notice them and can see them getting worse as I watch the MRI images show more radiation damage to her brain. I can only hope it stops before things get much worse. Her symtoms manifest as slower walking, difficulty in recovering if she gets off balance, confusion regarding time of day and day of week, and inability to cope with minute details. Last week we attended a funeral and when we got to the funeral home I noticed the neckline of my wifes dress was shorter in the back than in the front. I could also see a tag in the front and so questioned her about it. She had put the dress on backwards. It's little things like this that we are dealing with. If she concentrates on what she is doing (including walking) she does much better, but for many of the mundane things we do in life (walking, dressing) we tend not to concentrate on them, which for her can end up being a problem."

I hear ya there..It's worse when I am the one responsible for dressing my wife and as I was walking behind her up our ramp into our house (Slowly, slowly wearing her AFO) I noticed that i had put her pants on backwards.

They were the elastic pull up type jeans..

I am convinced that someday looking back on all of this, it will be harder than it is now because as we are in this battle, we sort of prepare ourselves for battle and sp you gird up for battle...

My wife used to be festidious in everything that she did and now can't eat without getting it all over herself and not caring OR not caring about what she looks like..

yesterday, I walked in the adult daycare center and opened the door to where the people were and there she was in a circle of elderly in her wheelchair and they had this boom box playing an old song "bicycle built for two" and everyone was raising their arms..of course my wife could only raise one arm and there again was this drool of ice cream or chocolate milk dropping off her chin onto her pants...

When you think about these things....later it gets to you..