What a difference a home makes! A home that follows state guidelines. With a staff that actually cares. Of course it's not perfect, but it's so much better -- on so many levels -- than the place I struggled at for the last 19 months.
The food is much better, it is sufficiently staffed so that everyone is cared for on an equal basis, and as a result, I'm finally improving like I should've more than a year ago.
IN DETAIL...
The meals:
As the cliche goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, when it comes to diet, here's about four thousand...
The room:
My old room was 104 square feet. The new room is about three times that. I no longer worry about keeping my voice down for fear of angering my mentally challenged neighbor, which was incredibly stressful at times.
I got lucky and ended up with one of the few rooms that looks out on a courtyard. More importantly, I have a mini-fridge and a microwave in my room, so I can supplement my diet with more protein and fresh vegetables if necessary.
I also have my own bathroom and shower, complete with fresh towels and rolls of toilet paper. My room is cleaned once weekly. Laundry is picked up once a week, and delivered back neatly folded.
And as a result...
I've gone from being able to stand about 20-30 seconds, to standing for 2-3 minutes, and can also walk a bit in my apartment. In just one month's time, I'm now averaging about 300 steps per day.
Thanks to the improved diet, plus a protein powder made specifically to help wound healing, the venous insufficiency ulcer, which flared so badly in July-August, is now much better.
And the diarrhea I had since early August -- despite taking large amounts of probiotics -- mysteriously disappeared the day after I moved in. I wondered if that was due to new caregivers at the old place leaving food on the counter for hours...
THE PATH FORWARD...
As a result, I definitely have work to do. Yes things are improving, but it'll take time to regain all the muscle I lost during the past (almost) two years.
I can really feel it in my feet. I just started to try the stairs again. Just two or three steps. Walking up wasn't too hard, but taking any step down was incredibly difficult. So while I want to get better 'yesterday', I think I should wait with the stairs.
Surprisingly, my hands seem almost worse. If I grab or lift my cell phone with my left hand, I have no problem. But if I try it by using my thumb and one or two fingers -- it shakes violently from the severe muscle loss.
And with ME/CFS, the mitochondria that produce energy for every cell in the body are kind of 'broken', so one has to really pace oneself, and not push to hard. As a result, it takes longer to recover from any exertion, let alone exercise...
BUT, that doesn't mean it's not possible!
I looked back at the video shot in 2021 and 2022 earlier today. And while it's incredibly sad to know that I've lost all those gains, all I can do is move forward.
And if I was able to recover to the point of walking up five flights of stairs and around the building like I did back then -- with your help, I can, and will do it again.
HOW YOU CAN HELP...
Just like four years ago, the ability for me to improve and recover will depend on my efforts, a better diet, but also on the many nutritional supplements I was taking during that period. A list of those can be found on the 2021 update page -- right below the video of me walking without assistance.
I believe my copper-deficiency anemia is better, but unfortunately, LabCorp didn't run all the tests my doctor asked for weeks ago, so we'll be running them again in December, to see where we are at. We need to make sure my liver iron (ferritin) is down further, and the serum iron is higher -- so critical to energy, immunity and wound healing.
And while we won't have to buy that pricey 'High Calorie Boost' anymore, I will need to continue with the (also pricey) Juven, to make sure the ulcer on my foot heals once and for all. Healing that ulcer is Priority Number One.
The podiatrist said it will never heal 100%, but it can and should get to 80% in the next 3-6 months. And when it does, it will be SO much easier to walk further and start tackling those stairs again!
Lastly, one of the unfortunate negatives of this room is that it suffered major water and mold damage about six months ago. It was completely refurbished the month before I moved in, but it still reeks from some repairs yet to be completed, and the glue they used to replace the floor.
Mainly, because it's not carpeted, it's easy to see how dusty it gets, even a day or so after being cleaned. Dust is literally everywhere, I think from my own horribly dry skin, but also from the forced air heater in this old building.
So I really need a heavy duty air purifier like the one I had years ago. This will help my chronic sinus issues, which will help my overall health.
Thanks to your kindness and continuing support, I'm confident I can and will dig my way out of this deep hole and get my life back. I know for certain, that I couldn't do it without you!
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Wishing you the absolute Best Thanksgiving Holiday!
p.s. A year ago, I mentioned how I had started painting small watercolor postcards, and that I was going to try to do 'slightly larger' painting for my nephew's early December birthday...but wasn't sure if I could get it done on time.
Boy, was that an understatement. It took three attempts and finally finished it on February 10th! About halfway through, I realized I hadn't painted a portrait in watercolor in 33 years, when I painted the one of his son.
No wonder it was so difficult, and took so long!
