Since my last post, I have seen some improvements in my health. Here's the rundown in where I am now.
-Hair. A few days after my update on April 18, my remaining hair fell out(legs, and eyebrows). My whole body was completely bald at that point. About a week after that I began to notice my head getting fuzzy. Within that week most of my body had at least a little bit of stubble. I actually shaved my face twice in the past few weeks. Pretty awesome since I haven't shaved since September. Right now I look a lot more "normal." I was never really embarrassed in losing my hair, but it's definitely nice to have it back. Give me another month or two, and I bet I'll have a full head of hair.
-Neuropathy. I'm not sure, but I think its improving. I mainly notice it in the morning upon waking up. At this point it's not really that bad at all. The ridges on my fingernails are still working their way out. While I'm on the topic of nerve related stuff, my upper quad is still numb. I asked my surgeon about my arm being numb along my scar, and she said that's expected. I guess that means it's permanent. I'm starting to feel that this leg is going to be permanently numb as well. I can live with it though. It really never bothers me except when I get itchy in that spot. Its frustrating because I can never satisfy the itch. If I itch there, it makes the whole area just burn, and gets more itchy. I'm going to see my surgeon in a month so I'll ask about that then.
-Fatigue. I finally felt "ready" to start a little cardio this week. I went on the treadmill on Monday. I walked half of a mile, and I probably could have done another quarter of a mile, but I was getting sore. Mainly my knees, and ankles were sore. They're just not used to exercise now. My joints didn't feel bouncy like they used to, but that'll come with time though. It is definitely great to see my energy improving. This week I've tried to do 15 minutes of exercise a day. I took Tuesday off to rest my knees, but on Wednesday I dribbled a basketball for a while. And yesterday I shot the basketball for a little bit. This leads me into my last point.
-My arm. I still haven't really seen much improvement in my arm since treatment ended. I'm good with all of the flexibility exercises with the exception of just a few, but my strength is just not there. Dribbling was awkward for me, and a little painful. I can honestly say that my left hand is better than my right at dribbling now. By a lot. For example. My arm doesn't move fast enough to do the different moves I try right now. This has more to do with the strength in my arm than anything I think.
And yesterday I tried shooting. I was a little bit too optimistic in trying to do this though. Before I went outside to take my first shot; this was my expectation of what was going to happen. I was going to easily go through my shooting motion. Swish a few close shots, and then just shoot around like I normally used to. Afterwards I thought I would be kicking myself for not doing this earlier as it would not be too painful, and just an overall enjoyable experience. Well....to put it bluntly I was completely wrong. My first shot was very painful, and almost made me call it quits right then and there. I can't extend my elbow on my shot because it hurts my shoulder too much. I shot around for maybe 5-10 minutes before calling it quits. I was getting too sore, and winded. My shooting range....no more than 3 feet away from the basket. I really have to use all of my strength just to get the ball up there. I admit that I was really disappointed with that yesterday, but I'm also really glad that I went out and tried. Now I know where I stand, and I have a goal to achieve.
I think my false optimism about my arm comes from the fact that I haven't really pushed my arm to the limit yet. I had no idea what was going to happen yesterday before I tried what I did. I can get through most of my daily activities without noticing the limitations in my arm at all. But getting a cereal box out of the cupboard, and shooting a basketball are two different things. I never realized how heavy a basketball is until now. I do like what I have done this week as far as exercise goes however. It's more challenging than what I've been doing, and that's what I think I need.
My arm is really sore today, but not really a muscle type sore that you get from lifting weights. It's hard to explain. My shoulder just feels like it has nothing to give, and it's swollen too. I wasn't sure yesterday if I was pushing it too hard. How I feel today leads me to believe that I was indeed pushing it too hard. I'm going to just stick to dribbling, and walking on the treadmill until I feel that I'm ready to shoot again. That sounds like a plan right? I recorded my first shot on video; you can watch it below.
-Hair. A few days after my update on April 18, my remaining hair fell out(legs, and eyebrows). My whole body was completely bald at that point. About a week after that I began to notice my head getting fuzzy. Within that week most of my body had at least a little bit of stubble. I actually shaved my face twice in the past few weeks. Pretty awesome since I haven't shaved since September. Right now I look a lot more "normal." I was never really embarrassed in losing my hair, but it's definitely nice to have it back. Give me another month or two, and I bet I'll have a full head of hair.
-Neuropathy. I'm not sure, but I think its improving. I mainly notice it in the morning upon waking up. At this point it's not really that bad at all. The ridges on my fingernails are still working their way out. While I'm on the topic of nerve related stuff, my upper quad is still numb. I asked my surgeon about my arm being numb along my scar, and she said that's expected. I guess that means it's permanent. I'm starting to feel that this leg is going to be permanently numb as well. I can live with it though. It really never bothers me except when I get itchy in that spot. Its frustrating because I can never satisfy the itch. If I itch there, it makes the whole area just burn, and gets more itchy. I'm going to see my surgeon in a month so I'll ask about that then.
-Fatigue. I finally felt "ready" to start a little cardio this week. I went on the treadmill on Monday. I walked half of a mile, and I probably could have done another quarter of a mile, but I was getting sore. Mainly my knees, and ankles were sore. They're just not used to exercise now. My joints didn't feel bouncy like they used to, but that'll come with time though. It is definitely great to see my energy improving. This week I've tried to do 15 minutes of exercise a day. I took Tuesday off to rest my knees, but on Wednesday I dribbled a basketball for a while. And yesterday I shot the basketball for a little bit. This leads me into my last point.
-My arm. I still haven't really seen much improvement in my arm since treatment ended. I'm good with all of the flexibility exercises with the exception of just a few, but my strength is just not there. Dribbling was awkward for me, and a little painful. I can honestly say that my left hand is better than my right at dribbling now. By a lot. For example. My arm doesn't move fast enough to do the different moves I try right now. This has more to do with the strength in my arm than anything I think.
And yesterday I tried shooting. I was a little bit too optimistic in trying to do this though. Before I went outside to take my first shot; this was my expectation of what was going to happen. I was going to easily go through my shooting motion. Swish a few close shots, and then just shoot around like I normally used to. Afterwards I thought I would be kicking myself for not doing this earlier as it would not be too painful, and just an overall enjoyable experience. Well....to put it bluntly I was completely wrong. My first shot was very painful, and almost made me call it quits right then and there. I can't extend my elbow on my shot because it hurts my shoulder too much. I shot around for maybe 5-10 minutes before calling it quits. I was getting too sore, and winded. My shooting range....no more than 3 feet away from the basket. I really have to use all of my strength just to get the ball up there. I admit that I was really disappointed with that yesterday, but I'm also really glad that I went out and tried. Now I know where I stand, and I have a goal to achieve.
I think my false optimism about my arm comes from the fact that I haven't really pushed my arm to the limit yet. I had no idea what was going to happen yesterday before I tried what I did. I can get through most of my daily activities without noticing the limitations in my arm at all. But getting a cereal box out of the cupboard, and shooting a basketball are two different things. I never realized how heavy a basketball is until now. I do like what I have done this week as far as exercise goes however. It's more challenging than what I've been doing, and that's what I think I need.
My arm is really sore today, but not really a muscle type sore that you get from lifting weights. It's hard to explain. My shoulder just feels like it has nothing to give, and it's swollen too. I wasn't sure yesterday if I was pushing it too hard. How I feel today leads me to believe that I was indeed pushing it too hard. I'm going to just stick to dribbling, and walking on the treadmill until I feel that I'm ready to shoot again. That sounds like a plan right? I recorded my first shot on video; you can watch it below.
Thank you for the donations you have made to my page for Miles2Give. You can donate here Michael Judge's Fundraising Page.
I'd also like to wish all of you moms out there a Happy Mother's Day
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