Cabernet and Carboplatin

Actually, it wasn't that long at all, but because it was so slow, it felt like it. Despite my orthopedic surgeon forbidding me to fsll, I disobeyed him today. On the way to my pre-op appointment, I was using my walker to get to the car and the shoe on the end of my prosthesis stuck, my microprocessor knee buckled, and down I went. But the microprocessor knee let me down easy. Not even my pride was hurt, though it did scare me a bit. The poor medical assistant who led me back to the doctor's office for my appointment could barely walk slow enough for me to keep up with her. She was a good sport and shuffled along with me, chatting as I took eeny weeny itty bitty baby steps, so afraid I would fall again. The appointment went well, and we headed home until my physical therapy appointment later that afternoon. The timing couldn't be better, because I knew the PT would be able to figure out why I fell and fix it. I was convinced I fell because I was wearing new shoes and th...

I had no idea that this word had a medical meaning. My surgeon used it to describe the "exuberant" growth of hypergranulation that has grown around the aperture on my femur where the rod to attach my prosthesis is. And he asked me to see my plastic surgeon at Hopkins. It's good to know people because on my own I could not get an appointment with him until mid-November, but his PA got me in this past Monday. The news I got from him was not what I wanted to hear. Because of the exuberant growth, I have to have surgery to remove it, and I might need a skin graft after the first surgery. While I am not thrilled to be getting another surgery, I am quite distraught at the possibility of a skin graft. The grafts I received in London took a year to heal. A year. At this point the surgeon thinks I will need to be off my leg and in a wheelchair for two weeks if he has to do a graft, but then conventional wisdom put me using a prosthesis in December, and instead it was nine mont...

Our last evening in New York, we went back to Contento. We had been there in February, our first time to visit Hospital for Special Surgery, to comsult with the physician who ultimately did my osseointegration surgery in July. The first time we went it was because it is likely the most accessible restaurant anywhere. The tables and the low bar are the right height for wheelchairs. There is an audio menu for blind people. The bathroom is a dream. We came back for the food, the wine, and the atmosphere. We ordered the one Priorat wine on the wine list. The wine manager was a little hesitant, but we assured him we knew what we were ordering. We generally like very young wines from this region of Spain, but the 2015 had all the markings of an exceptional Priorat wine, including that earthy granite finish. Dinner, as our experience before, was remarkable, especially fitting to cap off a great visit with my surgeon. I do have some hypergranulation, a fancy word for some growth around the...

The last couple of weeks have been full of progress. Two weeks ago my physical therapist got me started walking with a walker. In just a couple of sessions I could feel the improvement. Last session she began preparation for me to climb stairs. She had me step up and down from a six-inch block. More than once she said, you're doing amazing. Due to my last PT experience, I wasn't sure I could trust her accolades, so I told her I really wanted objective criticism and I would not be offended by it. She said I was doing incredibly well and was far ahead of most people at this stage. She figured a main reason was I had not developed bad habits using a socket prosthesis. She gave me a slew of exercises because I really have to get stronger. I'm doing them. Last evening Jerry and I attended a fundraiser. I had made sure ahead of time it was accessible, and I was assured that we could get in via the patio. The only problem was, the path that led up to the patio was large grave...