Not a great sleep. My bad back kept me awake. Only 72 on the Fitbit, but I did manage 40 minutes deep sleep, which is typical. Had OT first thing this morning; more about transferring and using the shower chair. An hour’s break and then it was PT with Chris. I really appreciate him; he listens and has good ideas – it’s not just cheerleading. He’s a recent graduate from the MGH Institute, but I’ll bet there’s a lot of competition to get a position here. We did some walking, using the newly allowed weight bearing on the right leg. It’ll take some time to get used to the new rhythm, and surprisingly, to me at least, I was panting after a mere 30 ft – the same distance I was doing yesterday with touchdown weight only. At least the right leg didn’t hurt. I think the reason I was panting was because there are muscles in the leg that haven’t been used at all since I broke it. I was quite exhausted by the time I got back to the room and dozed most of the time Maureen was here.
I now have a projected discharge date, August 15, which would make it a mere two weeks since I was admitted. In which time I have to demonstrate that I can navigate the stairs, use the bathroom unassisted, etc. At the rehab conference yesterday, OT and PT summarized where I am relative to where I was on admission. It shows some changes, but I need to show a lot more if I am to be discharged as planned.
OT Functional Report (blank is not assessed or needed)
| Metric | Admission | Current |
| Transfers | Moderate assistance | (P) Contact guard |
| Grooming | Moderate assistance | Moderate assistance |
| Toileting | Moderate assistance | Moderate assistance |
| Toilet Transfers | Moderate assistance | Moderate assistance |
| Transfers | Min assist to left x 1 | Min assist to left x 1 |
| Upper Body Dressing | With set up | With set up |
| Lower Body Dressing | Maximum assistance | Maximum assistance |
| Tub/Shower Transfer | Unable to assess | Moderate assistance |
| Bathing/Showering | Minimum assistance | Minimum assistance |
PT Functional report (blank is not assessed or needed)
| Metric | Admission | Current |
| Rolling Right | Independent | Independent |
| Rolling Left | Independent | Independent |
| Supine to Sit | Moderate assist | Minimum assist |
| Sit to Stand | Moderate assist, Minimum assist (mod A x1 plus min 2nd from w/c , min x1 from edge of bed) x 2 | Minimum assist x 1 |
| Transfers | Min assist to left x 1 | Min assist to left x 1 |
| Ambulation | Contact guard x 2 (2nd person for close w/c follow) | Contact guard x 2 (2nd person for close w/c follow) |
| Assistive Device | Walker – rolling, Other (Comment) (close w/c follow) | Walker – rolling, Other (Comment) (w/c follow due to short distances) |
| Stairs | Unable to assess (Comment) (unsafe-pt unable to perform task) x 1 | Moderate assist x 1 |
| Wheelchair | Independent | Independent |
Had my long-awaited video call with Dr. Choy. He was 40 minutes late for the call, but at least we had it. He went over the tests to date. Delighted that I’d already had the heart ultrasound and the port implant. The MRI on my right upper arm was non-committal and he’ll need a biopsy as some point, but this can happen either before or after the chemo has started. He’s seeing a lot of necrotic lesions which is puzzling to him. According to Doctor Google “Necrotic lesions on bone mean that a part of the bone tissue has died due to a loss of blood supply, severe infection, injury, or underlying disease.” I had thought at one point that the tumor on the right tibia was a chondrosarcoma, but he assured me that it was osteosarcoma, which can be treated with a cocktail of Doxorubicin and Cisplatin. He’s constrained as to how much Doxorubicin he can used as there’s a lifetime limit and I had it before when I was being treated for Burkitt Lymphoma. Both sound pretty nasty. The good news is that the infusions can take place at the MGH Waltham facility, rather than here in Boston. With the chemo, he estimates a 50% chance of a cure.
PT this afternoon was curtailed because of the call with Choy. We did measurements of how much I could bend the left and angle the right foot. The session was not as exhausting as the morning session but left me in some pain, so I had the nurse give me the full 4 mg of Dilaudid.