Doc Says, “Go Hiking!”

Yesterday, Jim and I once again spent the day at Stanford for scans and post-op appointments. It was a good day with great outcomes. 

Based on the ultrasounds they ran, the vascular surgeon told us that my rebuilt artery and vein looked "perfect,” meaning that all blood flow and blood pressure is behaving as hoped and there’s no evidence of blood clots. He told me that I can begin adding more extensive activities and exercise back into my life! He said I can start lifting more weight as long as it doesn’t cause pain or discomfort to my incision area. He told us the incision site reaches the strongest it will ever be by 6 weeks which will be this Friday. The one caution he gave is that I should still do core exercises like sit ups “without resistance" for a while. One of my friends found the humor in that with a quick “we don’t like sit-ups anyway!” 😂. 

There are still medical considerations, of course. Per the vascular surgeon, I will remain on blood thinners and an aspirin regimen for the next six months. I will have CT scans and meet with the sarcoma specialist every three months for at least the next couple of years. If all goes well, those appointments will then be moved to twice per year for the foreseeable future. My local oncologist will continue to monitor the lymphoma, but hopefully it will remain stable, thus avoiding further treatment. 

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been feeling better and fighting the desire to “do more” (exercise/yoga/jog [crazy right?!?], help more with chores that involve lifting / moving stuff…go HIKING!!). Mostly go hiking LOL. Everyone, including Dr. Harris, has heard me moping about missing my summer hiking adventures. So maybe the most exciting thing for me was his final comment as he left the room: “Enjoy your hikes!”

As always, I am in awe of Jim, the way he finds ways to make me smile through the stress and to be such a wonderful father and a support for our family. I am so blessed and thankful to have him by my side. So many others have supported us during this time as well. I don’t want to miss anyone by making a list here, but please know that I appreciate the blessings you all provide. Thank you for the prayers, the conversations, the places to stay before and after Stanford appointments, and all other support that has been offered during this time. I appreciate all of you so much.