Jeff walking without the cane at the Post Office in Emmett, ID
Jeff walking their new dog at the vets office in Emmett, ID
Posted on 03/03/2011 12:27:49 PM PST by Jeff Head
I posted this on my site and on Facebook today, and thought I would add it here on FreeRepublic as so many good, good people have encouraged, helped, prayed for and exercised their faith on my behalf over this last year.
Here's my Update Number 32:
A little time has passed between this entry and my last one. During that time I have continued to make progress in my rehabilitation, and to continue to mentally and emotionally come to terms with my new life and condition.
As to my rehab, I am walking pretty much all the time now without any assisted device, including my cane. I am finding that I am getting more and more stamina as the weeks pass as to how long and how far I can walk, but progress and improvement are defintely being made, however slowly. I still have a bit of a hitch in my left hip as I walk, and it drops down when I take a step because there is continued weakness in that joint. There may always be. As time goes on and those muscles slowly build, it will improve. In addition, on my right side, my foot itself has a greater loss of sensation than my left and my calf muscle is weaker there. Getting up on tip toes still alludes me, but I am working with that every day as I go up and down the long stairs at work and again, making slow progress.
Here's links to a couple of videos of me walking in February without the cane around town:
It's really heartening for me to see these videos and then compare them to my progress last June and July (of 2010) as I came out of the hospital. Whenever I am frustrated or think the progrewss is too slow, I just compare the videos to see how far I have come.
One of the most important reasons for this update was because last week we went to Houston and MD Anderson Cancer Center for our next big checkup.
The flight down and sitting in airports and on the plane on those seats was not too comfrotable for me, and I had quite a bit of anxiety...more about the trip itself and dealing with my disabilities, particularly bladder and bowel function, away from home and in the hotel. But we did it, and my wonderful, dear, lovely wife, Gail was there for me, as she has unfailingly been throughout this entire process...along with the prayers, faith and love of so many friends, and I was able to get through all of that.
The MRIs, CT Scans, blood work and consultations all went GREAT! On Thursday, February 24th, we met with Dr. Rhines.
He was almost estatic and very excited as he explained to us, and then showed us on the computer the progress my bone fusions are making. The bone fusions are ahead of schedule and doing better than expected.
There was no new cancer in the surgical area or the soft tissue and this was a hugely positive and good report as you can imagine. I still have three very small areas of chordoma cancer in my hip bones (illium) but they were there when they discovered and removed the large tumor in my entire sacrum. The Dr. is not too worried about those, and did in fact see another very small spot on my illium that is similar. But they are all growing, if anything, slower than expected and are very slow growing to begin with...as in years.
In September, at the next checkup, we will determine how to treat those. If there are no more that arise, we will use stereo-tactical radiation, which is a very high dosage, focused very tightly and accurately at a very small area. That process can be done in a day or two once they get everything programmed and set up and has proven effective. If a bunch more show up, we would use the general proton radiation, which is much more broad and a longer term (7 weeks of treatment, twice a day, five days a week for seven weeks). It has also shown itself to be effective, particularly in retarding growth. We hope that is not necessary because there is risk of complications from it, particularly in weakening the bone.
Dr. Rhines and Gisella were very excited to see me walking and feel I am making very good progress there as well.
All in all it was a VERY positive report and trip. We went out and ate at Luby's Caferteria in celebration and it was very good. We retunred home on Friday, February 25th, 2011.
So, we are thankful to our Father in Heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ, for their tender mercies to us in these circumstances. It is not what I would have picked...but it has been for the best. Our love and faith and the faith of so many others has grown and that is one of the most important things that can happen in life...a price cannot be placed upon it.
Every circumstance we face, particularly the difficult ones, gives us the opportunity to grow more, to love more, and to develop our faith. It is what God intends for us and is what life is all about. I am thanksful for that knowledge and am secure in my faith of Jesus Christ and know that one day, in His time, we will all experience a glorious resurrection where the ills and sicknesses and ails of this world will be behind us, and we will benefit from the love, faith, and experiences we have had and that benefit will be forever.
In the mean time, I will continue to document this experience to all who will read it. Ultimately, perhaps starting soon, I intend to turn it into a book. I believe a book about all of this will benefit others as much as, and perhaps even more than these blogs. At any rate, that is my thinking at this point. It is called, "An Unforgiving Temper," by Gail Head. Here's the link:
God bless you all, and again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you all for your encouragement, your faith, your prayers, and your love.
Sincerely,
Jeff
Or...view the video on youtube by clicking on this link: WATCH AMERICA: A LAND OF PROVIDENCE
A willingness to express these sentiments as a people, and to live according to them, is what produced our heavenly inspired Constitution and allowed us to prosper accordingly these many years.
We depart from it at the peril of our liberty, and ultimately at the peril of our very life.
No, they surely don't, as they are Godless. Godlessness and their utter and complete inability to understand the nature and the motivation of free men and women is their fatal blindness. The desire for power trumps all other desires and motivations - except the desire to be free. That is the theme of the last chapter of my book.
Glad you are feeling better. Glad our Houston Doctors at MD Anderson are working their miracles on you.
Excellent news, Jeff Head!
Prayers for continued recovery.
Thank you for the update. You are in my daily prayers. :)
Love to Gail
Jeff, I appreciate the update and continue to keep you & Gail in my diatribes to The Man Upstairs.
I am pleased to see her book is in e-reader format, in the “interesting times” following my Emily’s death last summer:
http://www.freedominion.com.pa/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=132035
http://www.freedominion.com.pa/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=132803
I read nothing else. It’s so convenient and easy.
I’m pulling for you, for what it’s worth.
Thank you very much for the update. We rejoice in thankgiving to Christ our Savior for the blessing of your recovery, and your continued improvement.
Praying for you and Gail as you continue to walk (hooray) down this very difficult road, in His Holy Name.
Life's 'third act' can be messy; You, Jeff are a wonderful example of how to deal with the adversity of that challenge.... You are pleased freepers could be there for you? I'm happy you have been there to show us the way...
Great news Jeff, may you enjoy continued strength! Let’s all give Gail a big FReeper hug for taking care of Jeff on this journey. Praise God.
Prayers for your continued healing!
Prayers for your continued healing!
Thanks for the update Jeff. The power of prayer is a beautiful thing. Glad to see the improvement! Bless you and Gail. Take care.
Thanks for the update Jeff. The power of prayer is a beautiful thing. Glad to see the improvement! Bless you and Gail. Take care.
Through all your posting here on FR, through your great novels, and through your community and civic activities you have touched more lives than you will ever imagine. You are a great inspiration to us all. Our prayers are with you always.
Thank you DL, particularly for the prayers and faith. The faith, prayers, and care of so many has truly lifted us up and carried us through this.
christ has promised us a glorious resurrection, just like He was, and I know with all the energy of my soul it is true.
What is sorrow in passing will turn to unbelievable joy in reuniting there, over Jordan...across the way, just over yonder. as the song says, "I'm just going home."
I was nearly there last spring and summer, but for His reasons, the good Lord willed I stay and I shall do so, but witness of Him and His love, and mercy in so doing, and for Him and the endless goodness of His values that undergird all we hold dear, our liberty, our way of life.
My prayers are with your FRiend, thank you for sending some my way too.
BTW, Gail’s book is great. i truly enjoyed reading something like that that my own dear wife and darling had written.
THank you for those kind words...they are too kind. i was faced with a very dificult situation and news and turned to my maker and Savior for the solace and help He promised...and though the experience has been hard, He has been true to His word, for the which I will be eternally grateful to Him and all whose faith, prayers, love, encouragement, and help bouyed us up through it.
Good to hear of the positive progress you continue to make. The cause of freedom and liberty needs both you and JimR on the front lines...
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