Recovering
I can’t believe it’s been a month since the last blog post! So here is an update, Todd has continued to gain mobility a little more each day. He has stopped going to therapy for now as the cost is just too much and we can maintain most of the exercises at home. His reach is getting better and depending on the angle, he can get his elbow above his shoulder, which is huge. If it gets to a spot where he is not progressing, we will continue to the next level of therapy. This road to recovery has been much more than anticipated but we are making it through.
The week of Thanksgiving, we saw the PA at the plastic surgeon’s office again and are now on an as-needed basis with them. The lower portion of Todd’s scar is a little unsightly and called hypertrophic, which means it has excessive amounts of collagen causing it to be raised. It should regress some and can take 6 months to 3 years. The upper part of the scar looks great even though there is still some swollen area and tightness at the nipple. These are things that take time to heal and the surgeon does not even consider any revision until at least six months after the surgery, so as of right now we still have four more to go! These issues are more cosmetic and inconvenient but do not pose any health concerns. I guess we will have to wait and see what the future holds.
After the last post and all the stitches were out and starting to heal, we decided it would be a good time to start on the regimen that was sent home from Mexico. I sat down and had to refigure the whole thing out since it had been a while and it’s a lot of supplements that need to be taken at scheduled times. Day one, halfway through Todd broke out in a rash from his face down his neck, chest, back, and sides. Coincidentally, I had just put some oil ointment on his scar so we were not sure what caused it. He had used the supplements in Mexico and had also used the ointment before? Not wanting to risk it, he stopped taking everything and we didn’t use any oils.
About a week later I tried the ointment again and no reaction, so we figured that it had to be the supplements. Even though they are the same ones he was taking in Mexico except the brand is different and there must be something not agreeing with Todd’s body. He has slowly started taking some of the supplements he was before like the liposomal vitamin C, PABA, D3 along with some dōTERRA supplements and essential oils. He has also returned to the coffee enemas, only one to two a day. The diet has not been as strict since surgery and we definitely need to be more mindful about that. It’s far too easy to let the convenience interrupt a routine. If we listen, we know the right choices that our body is telling us. Thankfully, juicing has stayed pretty consistent. He is going to start back on the IV vitamin C and ozone treatments soon to help with the healing process and his overall wellbeing.
This past week, things have somewhat started to feel back to normal, which is great. Although, I have to admit that it is also a bit scary, like hard for it to be ok letting my guard down. Almost as if I’m looking for permission to let go of the fear we have carried around with us for almost two years. I have said it over and over again that as much as this cancer journey has just completely sucked, it has made us into stronger better versions of ourselves. I’m so looking forward to moving on with the rest of our lives, but I am having a hard time staying motivated and finding my calling. I have many creative ideas and not exactly sure which direction to take. With a new year and a new decade right around the corner, I have been thinking a lot about the past and future more than ever and realizing how much our lives have changed. Both good and bad but we have gone through it all together not only as a couple but as a family. I feel in my heart there are many great things to come and we hope the same for all of you!
