Saturday, January 22, 2011

Feeling Strong-er: Cancer rehab should include move to new facility this coming week

I should be promoted from the VGH spine unit to the GF Strong rehab centre earlier next week, barring something bizarre.
I have to admit that I'm nervous as much as I am excited. I don't deal well with anything new. (That could be part of the reason that I eat like six different things and that's it.) I'm a comfort zone kind of guy.
One of the few things I know about GF is that they don't have TVs in the rooms. And, frankly, I'm more than good with that,  since I've watched way too much bad television over the past couple of months.
VGH gets about 50 different channels piped into its rooms. Don't get me wrong - it's a wonderful time waster, particularly when you're too tired or too sore to be up and around. But back home we have the full, 250-or-something channel package, so I've not been living my TV life in a style that I had become accustomed to.
I've been glued way too often to Cake Boss, with Buddy, the baker from New Jersey. Apparently, I'm not alone, since they've given him a new show entitled Kitchen Boss, where he offers up a more complete menu. It won't be long until he gets his own channel. I can't wait for him to star in a rendition of Who's the Boss, playing the Tony Danza role, of course. And then he'll be in Boss vs. Boss, where he duels Bruce Springsteen in trivia.
I know way too much about Say Yes To The Dress. I've watched enough of Don't Forget The Lyrics that I  routinely nail whether a contestant can actually sing in the midst of introductions from host Mark McGrath.
And how about My Strange Addiction? The guy who is dating the mannequin? Seriously? Seriously?
For what it's worth, I won't have too much time for TV at GF. I've been told that there will be at least three gym-time classes per day. We do one limited rehab session every day day at VGH. The focus here is getting healthy; the focus at GF is getting mobile.
I'm interested to see what kind of drills they'll let me do with my upper body. Dr. Robert Lee has told me to take it easy with arm and shoulder stuff ever since they found that I broke one of the two nine-inch rods inserted in my back to stabilize my spine. We've decided to rely on the one rod for the time being rather than risk infection with another surgery. (I've had two infection clean-out surgeries after the big operation that put in the two rods and 15 screws, which was the aftermath of my Solitary Plasmacytoma tumour and the resulting radiation blowing up my T-2 vertebrae.)
Carol-Ann can't stay with me at GF, like she can here at VGH. That will be hard for me to take on one level, but it will also inspire me to get home faster and it will make me feel better that her life is getting back to normal. She can come during visiting hours.
I'll get her to give me updates on good TV shows during that time.

1 comment:

  1. Steve,
    You'll do great. Look at it as the next chapter. A chapter closer to home.
    Take care of yourself and Carol-Anne.
    P.S. The suckers made there way to Quesnel. Found a random one yesterday.

    ReplyDelete