We are doing fine in Boston. We decided to stay in town at the Best Western Terrace Inn. We highly recommend this place. We get a large room with king bed at a discount ($100 a night when we mention Dana Farber appointment.) It is only a few feet from parking space to the door of our room. We love staying with Hugh in Salem and Beanie in Foxboro, but our appointments start early in the morning. Daniel's hip prevents him from carrying much ... it does limit his carrying his wife up the stairs. So, this is good. I can walk to room from car with little more help than Daniel's strong arm to hold onto!
Boston weather has been good for us. We love seeing the frozen Charles river.
We saw Colby, the eye surgeon, at MEEI yesterday am. She thinks my eye is healing along nicely. BUT she would not be talked into my next visit being the end of April. No later than April 1 she declared. Beanie has welcomed my request that she pick me up, chauffer me around to several docs, and put me up on Thursday night. What friends we have. I'll return on March 31, after our Lent forum session and leave late Friday to get home for the next one.
I saw the contact lens doc at MEEI (Dr. Watt works at Boston Foundation 2 days a week too). My new contact is a bit better, with some correction, but not right. "We have lots of options" Watt declared. One of them, my favorite, is a sclerial lens (it would keep this KPro eye hydrated and I know how to clean that lens etc etc). So, I'm still on the road to great vision. I have more hope than I have had since the day Colby removed the bandage. Real vision will happen ... and I'm glad to have as much sight as I do. (I'm almost ready for a 3-D movie.)
We had charming visit with my transplant doc, Cutler. We love that he loves to see us. He reduced my predisone to 20mg one day and NOTHING on the alternative day. He said I will build muscle on the no pill day. I plan to exercise well those days! (How does one build muscle in one day???)
He liked the pictures of our WaterRower and asked if we had it custom built. It does fit into our house as if we had; we have a space where it fits perfectly when put upright. We bought the cherry one which few people do. We both are enjoying our exercise on it. It is really a work out. I'm able to do mine without using my right arm at all.
Speaking of my arm, we saw the wrist surgeon today. As I feared, I have been using that arm too much. Typing is OK he said, but I can't lift anything heavier that a paperback book. The cast had loosened; he replaced it. Since my swelling is mostly gone, he did not cut a slit down the new one and so it will continue to be snugger. I'm committed to not using it nearly so much. He said it is fine to drive with a break/cast like mine even though that is a lot of arm movement.
They had no pink wrapping at this office and so I chose a very light celery color. I see him again on my March 31 visit. If I keep my promise to myself to minimize its use, I may get the cast off then.
Tomorrow I see the dentist at Brigham and Womens who specializes in bone marrow transplant patients. Two years ago he said I would need dentures within 6 months. I'm eager to hear what he thinks now. After that I see the psychiatrist at Dana Farber who works with "chemo brain" patients. I have started "cognitive rehab" therapy in Southport and I'll be discussing that with her. We then leave Boston for NC with a short stop to see my spiritual advisor, William Barry, Ph.D., SJ.
We are of course eager to get home (and to the rowing machine, of course). We might just see the grand-kiddos as well!
Overall, things are quiet. Daniel's vitamin supplements and rigorous "Ming Method" stretches are giving him some relief. Funny how each of us seems to feel the others' pain more than our own. That's love.
In this week of Valentine and LOVE, hope you are getting PLENTY. We are sending you MUCH.
Bonnie for BanD
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