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AML & Climbing - a random info thread. 27-May-2023 At 2:13:45 PM IdratherbeclimbingM9

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What an eye opener our home visit turned out to be!

Reflections on visiting home ~
It was hard to believe how much growth the trees and garden had put on in the intervening time. The bush obviously appreciates this wetter than average year.

We stepped out of the home environment hurriedly when we left, and have been through much since, only to return and get glimpses of yesterday like 10 months ago was indeed actually yesterday. Consequently I feel dead but alive - an eerie sensation of being locked in time like the subject of a photograph.

My vision sees what needs doing work-wise around the place, picking up where we left off … but my mind questions the importance of the upcoming inevitable time involved… ~> The future will be a balancing act of budget and longevity!

It was great to be in our own space again; particularly at night in bed being able to look at stars and hearing silence, as compared to Melbourne light pollution along with associated urban noise of sirens, trams, etc.
Morning bird calls were very refreshing, along with relaxing breaks enjoying the sunshine on our outdoor deck built at treetop height. The peaceful views with cuppa in hand, and our faithful puppy to share it with were moments to be savoured.
The reunion with our dog was special. Five minutes of happiness with a dog is worth heaps more in life than the time involved.

I had a wake up call regarding how little resilience I have, when I pumped up the tyres of 2 pushies (and also checked my motorcycle for correct tyre pressure), as I realised by that exercise that I had nothing left in the endurance tank. A sobering experience.
Normally I’d do that and go for a 3 hour ride!!
I felt that I was simply a shell of my former self but unlike a chrysalis that gives forth a butterfly, I’m simply a moth looking for a niche to dry my wings so that I can get to fly in the future.

After this I rolled on the mtb downhill to the local bike shop to leave it there to have its gearing lowered, in anticipation of future attempts to pedal it in the local hills.
Walking back home I appreciated stopping to chat with friends, as much for the rest in doing so, as for the catchup.
Walking in a hilly environment is certainly a different yardstick to the relatively flat terrain around Royal Melbourne Hospital …

We returned to Melbourne all to soon…
In the short term future we ‘may’ get to return home again in July after next biopsy results, if they favour a spanning out of the medical reviews.

Comparisons -
I have a friend with a health issue who recently underwent pathology blood sampling and an ECG and was put on medication - a big deal for him. I marvel that for others these experiences are new and ‘exciting’ but for me they are now a normal regular event. What stresses him I now regard as lightweight but it was only a short time ago that I was him.

My whippy stick for keeping things in check remains idle a lot. I always seem to be waiting on the next blood result to flex it ...
Bloods have been bouncing around a bit, but the tweaks are keeping it coming back to the straight and narrow.

I had it reinforced again today that mentality is a fragile thing.
Was doing our preferred park walk with my wife and met a random unknown pedestrian doing the same with her dog.
We passed each other as she was admiring a large trunked gum tree and we got to talking about it.
I showed her a photo that I took of it with my wife standing in front of it last week and offered to do the same for her.
Conversation turned to are we local / walk there often, and for the first time I found myself 'admitting' (an interesting concept - am I partially in denial?), to her that I have leukaemia and walk here as part of my rehabilitation...
It's weird knowing my circumstance but not yet finding myself admitting it outside of a medical (hospital), or close friends situation ...
She touched me on the elbow and said she was sorry -
That random act of kindness almost brought me to tears ...

Where do these feelings spring from?
I guess it is just the ongoing intensity of the whole process/situation...
~> I’m looking forward to some outdoor recreational therapy in the backblocks with mates.
:-)

After (Edit: ~~chemo~~) marrow transplant I lost my vaccination immunities. The haem-team decided that I can now renew my Covid and influenza shots, … the first on the recovery road of renewing all of the lost ones like diphtheria, meningococcus, hepatitis, measles, poliomyelitis, etc.

Masks.
~> an ongoing source of intrigue and frustration for me, as regards how general public perceives / uses them.

I need to wear one almost constantly, so my covid lockdown lifestyle has not changed since its inception.
I have too much time invested in my recovery so far, along with my future; to be tolerant of people who don’t respect that immunocompromised people need their personal space. As such I’ve become adept at anticipating and avoiding anyone who I perceive as a risk to my recovery.
One can readily correlate distance from hospital with the degree of mask wearing!
:-)
We pick our walking routes (and potential outdoor coffee stops), carefully to avoid unnecessary risks.
I also look forward to when my immune system allows me to partake of foods currently off my menu due to live bacteria risk, like eggs, ham and other deli meats, soft cheeses, smoked salmon, prawns, undercooked meats, etc

In the meantime we enjoy daily walks of anywhere between 5 and 10 km to build up my fitness again, supplemented by physiotherapy twice a week.

Life is nothing if not interesting eh!
:-)