First Week of Cycle 8 and Rehab Progress

Currently, I'm recovering from the first week of cycle 8. The fatigue wasn't as bad as the corresponding week of cycle 7. I didn't fall asleep while getting chemo, and made it through both of my physical therapy sessions. The fatigue really didn't start hitting until after Wednesday's physical therapy session, actually. That's when I started to need afternoon naps. On Thursday, I slept right before lunch and through a lot of the afternoon. Friday, my energy was better, enough to make it through chemo, physical therapy, and a subsequent appointment with the rehab doctor, but after dinner, a huge crash hit and I was fast asleep for most of the time until about 6am today.

I've made some big progress with my walking recently. It starting during cycle 7, when I started feeling less pressure at the bottom of my stump leg while walking. There were still, though, instances of pressure around a bone on the outside of the stump a little below the knee, enough to cause skin bruising. At my most recent follow-up with my prosthetist, I showed him the bruise, and in response, he adjusted the socket of the prosthesis by cutting out a section of its outer layer that lined up with the bruised area on the skin. The outer layer of the socket is a rigid carbon fiber; the inner layer is a less rigid plastic, which allows for some "give." By exposing this part of the inner layer, the pressure was lessened, and my walking quickly became substantially easier. Here's a picture of the prosthesis post-adjustment, with the hole showing:

I've since been graduated by my physical therapist to a cane. She gave it to me on Wednesday. For the moment, I'm supposed to use it indoors while continuing to use one crutch outdoors. We'll revisit next week, and I'll hopefully soon move to full-time cane use. I can't move too quickly, though, even though I've been capable of taking outright unassisted steps since mid-March -- my therapist wants to ensure I walk with a smooth, balanced gait, and if I move too quickly, I could develop bad habits (namely, having my right side compensate for my left side) that will be hard to shake. And given my long term goal of running again, poor walking form is the last thing I would need!