Friends

This was another relatively quiet week. It started out with a nine mile walk. That went well. I was tired at the end, but OK. This week we have an easy week, with only 5 miles planned for tomorrow. Tuesday I rode on Fiesta Island again. Up to 16 miles and a much higher speed than last week. My Wednesday workout went better too. It is amazing how getting some sleep makes a lot of things a lot easier. Menchie is doing really well. She had a doctor appointment today. The doctor was very pleased with her progress. You can’t usually tell at all that she just had an operation. I had my third Rituxan treatment today. Only one poke to get the IV going, which was a relief. The infusion went quickly and I slept through much of it. It is kind of funny that I slept half the day but I am really tired now. Must be quite a battle going on inside me.

Have a great weekend!

Ted and Menchie
http://www.wilcoxent.com/mzima
http://www.active.com/donate/tntsdh/tntsdhTWilcox2

Health Update, March 14, 2008, Day 514

Friends

This week has been a much more relaxing week than last week. It started out with an 8 mile walk on Saturday. That walk was 1.25 miles longer than my first 7 mile walk. It was also quite hilly, and my time was the same as that first 7 mile walk. I am very pleased with that. I felt like I could go further at the end. Coming up tomorrow, a 9 mile walk in Encinitas. Even though I felt pretty good after the walk Saturday, I pulled a hip muscle and was very tired through this week. Tuesday I rode my bike for the first time since the middle of October. The bike worked well but had some engine problems. My heart rate was way high and I was really tired real quick. The interesting thing was that I felt very strong, but I just couldn’t keep it up. So I rode about 11 miles and called it a day. It was fun. My workout at the gym was horrible. After about half of the workout I started feeling very sick, so I went for a walk and came back and worked out some more. I couldn’t do much though. Thursday I had my Rituxan treatment, which went quite smoothly, except that they had difficulty getting an IV started. Took 5 or 6 pokes. No problem. I slept most of the time. I asked about being totally sleepless last Friday night after the treatment, and the nurse said it was probably due to the steroids they gave me. They prescribed some pills to help me sleep Thursday night. It worked like a champ. Friday morning I had a dentist appointment to get two permanent crowns put in. I think I am down to 8 fillings and 1 crown still left to do. I’m making progress! It will be good to get that done.

I wanted to make a comment on a question I frequently get asked. People wonder about how all of my working out makes me feel. I think the question is usually if it gives me a lot of energy. I guess that is a complex question. Certainly I have a lot more energy that I did a year ago, and I have the strength and the confidence to do things that I have not been able to do in the past. Do I feel energized? No. Mostly I feel tired. Really tired. It seems like I have to push so hard to even be the worst in the group. My workouts take total dedication of every physical resource I have. Walking is terribly painful for me, due to the nerve damage in my feet. The gym workouts are incredibly hard and are totally exhausting. Spinning and riding my bike are fun but still very hard. Some of the time I feel good after a workout, but usually I just feel like falling in a heap. I know, though, that I am doing what is best for my body, and helping my recovery. I am getting tired of the grind, but I think it is worth it. Also, keep in mind that the steroids I take are antagonistic to muscle development. I think I will take a while off after this program, and just enjoy riding with Menchie. There are two things that make it all worthwhile though, first, it is helping me to realize my dream of living in a world where my grandchildren will never have to worry about going through what I have been through; second, I refuse to accept that I am less than before, so I will always try to do more, be Better, Faster, Stronger, better than before, to borrow from the old Bionic Man TV show. Well, maybe just better.

On the Medical Front, my tongue is improving a lot. I am not sure, but it seems like the Rituxan is diminishing my GVHD both on my tongue and my legs and back. I am taking Ativan to help me sleep after the Rituxan treatment. The steroid they give me is Solumed, which helps diminish the side effects of the Rituxan. Menchie is doing extremely well.

Happy Easter! Happy Spring!

Ted and Menchie
http://www.wilcoxent.com/mzima
http://www.active.com/donate/tntsdh/tntsdhTWilcox2

Friends

We have had a very busy week this week. Menchie is recovering well. Saturday I walked 7 miles again. The big difference was that my time was 21 minutes shorter!!! We walked again Sunday and Monday. Otherwise we had Monday off. On Tuesday we got our taxes done. On Wednesday, Menchie had a doctor appointment. The doctor was very happy with her progress. He recommended walking, but no hard workouts until 6 weeks. He       cleared Menchie to go to the Philippines, and to start driving again. Also on Wednesday we found out that my Rituxan treatment had been approved. We just have time to fit it in before our trip. I went to a workout on Wednesday evening, and, as usual, felt pretty beat by the end. Menchie walked 1600 yards while I was working out. YOU GO GIRL! Thursday I spoke at a Wine and Cheese fundraising party for a friend. I couldn’t do the wine and some of the cheese, but it was still a lot of fun. Today I had labs, my first Rituxan treatment, and a doctor’s appointment. We got to the hospital early, fortunately, because they had canceled my appointment for the Rituxan infusion. We got that sorted out and went to a different clinic. They started me on Tylenol and Benadryl, followed quickly by the infusion, and after about 30 minutes increased the infusion rate. Almost immediately I started getting chest pain and difficulty breathing. Afterward, my doctor said that is a normal manifestation of an immune response to the infusion. They stopped the infusion, gave me a steroid and started the infusion again. They eventually increased the rate to the same rate that caused the problem and my body did not respond, so the rest of the time went well. The total infusion took about 6 hours to complete.

Tomorrow I am scheduled for an 8 mile walk. It will be fun, I am sure.

My doctor appointment was uneventful. The doctor was very pleased with my progress. No changes to anything except he wants to see me in two months now instead of one.

On the Medical Front, No problems with my tongue even though I have reduced the budosenide. The doctor said that it looked better, so that is good.

Lab results. My platelets are in still the normal range!!! I was pretty dehydrated this morning, so my creatinine was a little high, but the doctor doesn’t seem concerned.

Best wishes to everyone for the weekend!

Ted and Menchie
http://www.wilcoxent.com/mzima
http://www.active.com/donate/tntsdh/tntsdhTWilcox2

Friends,

We hope everyone had a good week. I am sending this update as promised, even though nothing has really happened. Menchie is still doing well. She walked about 1000 yards on Wednesday. That might have been a little too far. My doctor wants to challenge the insurance company decision about getting Rituxan treatments, so we will see what happens with that. I have a seven mile walk scheduled tomorrow. Looking forward to that. We will be walking by the bay.

Have a great weekend!

Ted and Menchie
www.wilcoxent.com/mzima

Friends,

Good evening! I walked my 7 mile walk on Saturday with no major problems. I was tired at the end. Sunday, Menchie and I went for a 40 minute walk. She did great. Today, Menchie went to my office with me, and then we went to get her staples out. That went real well. The nurse was very pleased with the appearance of the incision, and the staples came out easily. I guess they had a Staples Easy Button. Menchie’s next appointment is Wednesday the 12th with the doctor. We hope to continue walking most every day if we can.

I have a pentamadine treatment this Wednesday. Ugghh. My insurance denied my Rituxan treatment. I guess my doctor will have to go argue with them. The insurance company said it was experimental, with no clear proof of diagnostic effectiveness. We shall see! I will be getting labs before each treatment, so I will be sending out an update for those treatments. Next update will be on Friday unless something bad happens.

Have a great week!

Ted and Menchie
www.wilcoxent.com/mzima