Finally home!

Now that the treatments are over and the pain has subsided a little, I will start to contribute to the blog myself.

I received my last plasmapheresis treatment on Wednesday, November 7th and it was slightly different from the previous ones.  I received a new medicine in addition to the plasma and had to sign a waiver prior to the treatment acknowledging the possibility of more serious side effects, which unfortunately I experienced.  The beginning of the treatment went well and I was prepared for the usual chills and shivers by starting the heating pad and asking for heated blankets from the dryer before everything started.  My nurse, Mari, was nice enough to heat a new blanket for me every 30 minutes, but luckily I wasn't as cold as before – that is, until the very last cycle, which was one of the most painful 20 minute cycles of all the treatments.  As soon as it was over, I was begging the nurse for pain medication, which I then needed more and more of the rest of the day.  I also developed a fever, rash, and rapid heartbeat.  At one point, I honestly didn't think I would feel well enough (or my vitals would be stable enough) to go home the next day since my pain level remained very high throughout the day and the entire night.  

Luckily, I felt better Thursday morning and the side effects of the last treatment were gone, although I still was in a lot of pain. I finally headed home after thanking the nurses and other staff members who helped me through the past 19 days that I was at San Javier Marina hospital.  I rode home in my first Mexican ambulance ride, which surprisingly went smoothly.  To be honest, I thought I was in for a crazy ride like most of the passengers on the taxis and buses experience here on a daily basis, but I felt pretty safe.

Joshua and my parents had prepared my room at home by renting a hospital bed and moving some furniture around.  They placed the bed so that I had a nice view of the blooming flowers in our back yard and could also see the downstairs living room and dining room areas with our bedroom doors opened.  When I arrived, Xavier stood up in his crib, which is in our room, and was so happy to see me.  He was clapping and laughing and yelling with excitement.  I was just as happy and excited to see him.  It was a nice welcoming home gift as we had spent most of the 19 days that I was in the hospital apart from one another.  Later that day, I had my family wheel my bed and his crib together so that we could see each other.  Although I didn't lose feeling in my arms, they are still weak and it’s hard for me to hold onto Xavier when he starts moving around suddenly when he is in my lap.  Anyone who has met my son knows how strong and wiggly he is. Of course, I want to hold him and cuddle with him as much as I can, but I need to regain more strength first.  He does, however, like to push the buttons on mommy’s bed to move it up and down.

Thursday, I spent the day resting, but I did my physical therapy exercises with my nurse, Erik. Erik and I had a little trouble communicating as his English and my Spanish speaking skills were lacking, but we managed.  While I understand a lot of Spanish, I still have difficulty speaking it.  So, I might be spending some of the next couple of months finally learning to speak Spanish since my physical therapist and nurses don't speak a lot of English.  I had a lot of pain during the night, which my doctors have said is normal since hormone levels change at night, but my Dad stayed up with me and helped me change positions in bed every 2 to 3 hours when I would wake up in pain. I was very grateful for him to help me.

My pain level on Friday was much less during the day (5 out of 10) as Erik showed my family how to massage my legs and feet whenever I felt pain.  He also said that I need to keep massaging my face to stimulate the nerves to reconnect.  We decided that having a nurse at night was probably better since that is when I need the most help dealing with my pain by treating it with massages, moving positions in bed, and needing shots of pain medication administered.  So, Friday night I met Yolanda (or Yoli), who was very helpful throughout the night.  She also didn’t speak a lot of English, but we were able to communicate well.  Despite her small size, she was very strong and able to move me back and forth on my sides throughout the night.

My physical therapy is now every day and I am working hard at regaining my strength and movement.  Most of my muscles are very tight since they haven’t moved in over 3 weeks.  I am surprised at the lack of flexibility as I used to practice yoga and had maintained that flexibility even though it’s been a while since I have practiced.  I hate to admit that I have been reluctant to attend a yoga class in Mexico since I’ve been afraid that I would look stupid when I didn’t understand when the teacher said “downward facing dog” or any other yoga positions in Spanish.  If you have seen the funny YouTube videos “Shit Gringas Say” versions 1 and 2, then you know that this is one of the stupid things that us gringas might say and think when we move to Mexico.  If you haven’t seen the videos, they are definitely worth watching.

Anyhow, back to the physical therapy – it’s going well, but painful as my muscles are stretched.  The first part of the treatment, the therapist puts electrical patches on different leg muscles and sends a pulsing electrical current to stimulate the muscles and nerves.  He also uses a special electrical device for waking up nerves in my face.  It feels like getting a facial every day as he also massages my face when he’s done.

I can tell that the therapy is working as I am seeing small improvements every day.  The right side of my body is worse off than the left, but I was told that while the disease worked from the “toes to the nose,” the recovery went in reverse.  My numbness started in my right foot so that will probably be the last part of my body to fully recover.

I’m trying to stay positive as I know that it is a biggest part of the healing process.  I am blessed to have so many family members and friends helping me by praying for me and sending me positive energy.  I also have friends sending me reiki through distance healing, which is something I also practice on myself when I am able to.  Most of all, I am very grateful for how much Joshua and my parents do for me on a daily basis as I am completely dependent on them for everything.  Being an independent person and used to doing things myself and for others, it was (and is still) hard making this transition, but I am thankful that they are here for me.