Wow, it has been one year to the date from my admission to the hospital where they found a cancerous tumor on my spine which caused me to be paralysed from the breastplate or T4 down to my toes.

I spent 9 out of 12 months in a hospital going through all kinds of tests, treatments and physical therapy.  The worst of which was the Melfalin chemotherapy that was given to me prior to stem cell transplant.  That whole experience was like dying and then being resurrected.  It was a total poisoning of my body, to which I believe I am still recovering from.

Other than that, the past six months have been an ongoing struggle to replenish my immune system and get it back up to where it was before all this happened.  My son is feeding me good healthy meals.  I have eliminated sugar, coffee and alcohol and don’t miss any of them.  I have found a great mushroom coffee substitute for those days when I need something warm in my belly.  My son has a source for local unpasteurized honey which I have in very small amounts.

Exercising is my real source of inspiration over these winter months of confinement.  I am up to 30 reps on each of my exercises and have added weights for different exercises.  I am working hard on my abs trying to reduce this bloated belly that I have acquired as a result of the damage to my thoarasic spinal cord.  I am hoping to be able to do some exercise video with the help of my granddaughter once I give a little more time for my hair to grow back in, get a little stronger and get these weight exercises down pat.  I have also started doing some standing exercises with my walker.  They are challenging and I have to be careful not to strain my back.  I have a bad habit of pushing myself a bit too hard.  I use my OlyLife-P90 everyday and I drink my Kangen alkaline water.

The swelling and bloating in my body is dissipating.  I can wear my rings again.  My belly bloat is starting to go down.  It is going to take a lot of exercise to get my belly back to where it once was, if it ever goes back to what I would call my normal.  Apparently with a thoracic spinal cord injury as mine, when the spinal cord becomes damaged, the belly, all that makes up the abdomen blow out or as it is described, the muscles give out and everything goes loose.  As a result of this there is also damage to the bowels and the bladder.  With an injury such as this most of us spinal cord injury persons choose to stay close to home, close to a washroom.  Sad but true, that is the nuts and bolts of my life now.

Piper, my dog brings me comfort and joy while I am confined to my room over the winter months.  It is not easy for me to get outside or get out and about.  My daughter and my son are very good and doing my shopping and Amazon has become my best friend for just about everything that I could possibly need other than food.

I have totally become enthralled in reading some incredibly entertaining and excising novels.  My daughter and granddaughter and I are engulfed in reading several trilogies.  My son is busy making his crafts, which he devotes a lot of his winter down time to doing.  I will get back into doing crafts as well very soon, once I can put this book down. We had our first calf born on January 4th here on the farm.  He had a bit of a hard start to life but is doing wonderfully well, growing strong on mother’s milk.  We should have about 9 more calves sometime over the next few months.

I am still working with my alternative health practitioners and taking their advice for various supplements, homeopathy and herbals.  I have been trying to get my oncologist to take an interest in what I am taking and doing outside of his treatments but he has been disinterested until of late when my bloodwork came back indicating that I had elevated liver enzymes.  I finally gave me his email so that I could send him my list of supplements.  He sent it off to the hospital pharmacist and I have made their recommended adjustments.  It is nice when things come together.

Kathryn