Alright...a few things to discuss today.
First, I had my appointment with the parathyroid surgeon. He is pleased with my progress, and is unconcerned with my latest PTH lab. He told me that with a partial parathyroidectomy, the PTH level can waffle up and down. Right now, he is happy if the reading ranges between 80-120, so long as the Calcium level stays in the mid-9.5 area. Any lower [calcium reading] and the PTH will spike and cause issues. So for now, maintain my current calcium supplement intake (1000 mg 4x/day), have the PTH re-tested in May, then call in for further instructions.
Also during this doctor visit, the three sutures that were causing me further discomfort were all trimmed down so as to be below the skin. He did this by using an 'alligator' clamp to grab hold of the individual suture ends [and pull them away from the skin a bit], then his nurse clipped each off, and the clamp released resulting in all three ends retreating back into the skin. There should be no further issues with these sutures; though I should still apply ointment once each day for about two weeks to help further dissolve the remaining surgical threads.
Next, the headache has, overall, begun to decrease earlier than I had anticipated following my last dental appointment. However, it still spikes daily; but at least it has begun to ease off for a period of time each day. This is terrific news on the TMD front!
Remember...small victories!
With the TMD settling down I finally began my daily walks to improve my leg strength, conditioning and stamina.
I started with a short walk of about 150 yards last evening, then I just got done with another of about 200 yards right before I sat down to type this entry. Today's walk showed me just how much further my strength has slipped. With only a slight elevation increase over about 2/3's of the circular route I took, it left me wiped out. My legs were weak and aching by the time I arrived back home.
I expected this, even though the result today is a tad disconcerting. I have to remember that I am months and months behind where I thought I'd be by now because of everything that has happened since my transplant.
The weakening of my muscles is greater now than two years ago, so I must keep the positive thought that just getting started is the hardest part of regaining strength! Once your efforts become habit, the exercise becomes easier as you grow stronger...no matter how incremental that progress might be.
A couple of days ago I was thinking about how far I have to go in getting back in shape. The thought occurred to me that it is as if I am starting to gain strength for the first time...all over again. THAT is how I must look at my day to day progress. It doesn't matter how long it takes; only that I am giving my best every single day.
My weight continues to rise, though I am unsure if the increase is from eating too much compared to my activity level, if I am holding onto too much water from day to day, or if my normal daily activity level has increased what muscle mass I have, thereby increasing my weight. Though I generally void most all of my daily fluid intake, there are days that I hold onto some [fluids] for whatever reason. In this regard, I have been counting my nightly urine output for the past few weeks. My nightly output is ranging from 800 cc's (8/10's of a Liter or kilogram) to 2,000 cc's (or 2 Liters/Kilograms). There hasn't seemed to be an apparent 'normal' volume of nightly urine output, though I will continue to check this.
As far as my daily food intake, I rarely eat breakfast. (I believe I have previously stated that I haven't eaten a breakfast with any regularity in decades simply because I dislike most all typical breakfast foods.) Meanwhile, my lunches are light to moderate in total volume, and my dinners go between moderate to normal. Plus, I will sometimes eat an evening snack; though not consistently. So, I don't know that the weight increase is due to this. It could just be a combination of all these factors.
In any event, as my strength and stamina increase, my fatty tissue will decrease while muscle mass increases (even before weight training), so it will be interesting to see what happens with my weight.
Though I am frustrated with a few things, I am pleased, overall, with how I am coming along. Again, I must remember how far I have to go so that I temper any frustration with understanding of the journey ahead.
And with that, I will wrap this up for today.
Have a fantastic week, everyone!
Good Health to All!
ScottW
