“Nobody on the road, nobody on the beach, I feel it in the air, the summer is out of reach.”
I’ve been spending most of the past several days outside, trying to take advantage of every last ounce of sunshine Mother Nature will squeeze out. Fortunately, Cleveland was blessed with a week of warm and clear weather last week. I managed to fit in a trip to the zoo last Friday and noticed that I wasn’t the only one relishing in the sun, as most of the animals were passed out and sunbathing. The exception was the large silverback gorilla camped under a tree gnawing on a fresh tree limb for a snack. The two of us engaged in a staring competition for a few minutes until he decided to turn his back on me, and a few seconds later emitted a stench I’d just as soon forget. It was enough to also make me want to pass out.
I hate to admit it, but I’ve found myself growing more melancholy over the past week as realization sets in that the cold and gray days are close at hand. I don’t want to create a self-fulfilling prophecy but I can’t help to think how challenging winter could be. It was certainly easier to enjoy the winter months when I wasn’t confined to a wheelchair, battling frozen sidewalks, biting wind gusts and layers of clothing quickly causing me to overheat. The reality is that it is much tougher to get comfortable as the thermometer drops. Not to mention the walls of an apartment seem to close in and become much more confining. Ironically, I’m listening to the song, “Back to December,” by Taylor Swift right now (not by choice, just the tune my iPod shuffled to). However, the last thing I want to do is head back to December. Instead I’d rather head somewhere warm and salty, back to some beach once discovered in a previous life when I used to leave footprints instead of wheel tracks. I’ve also had a few other things on my mind these past few days that probably contributed to the funk. Perhaps investing in some type of UV lighting I can hang from my ceiling might not be a bad idea! It’s amazing what the sun can do. It’s like an energy drink for the soul, fortified with vitamin D and lots of endorphins.
One thing that does get the endorphins flowing for me is working out. I plan to start weekly sessions at Buckeye Wellness Center this week. The initial focus will be on weighted exercises in which I try to connect the movement with my brain, hoping that dormant nerve paths might reawaken. I’ll also be able to do more FES training which can lead to increased muscle growth. Need to build my body back up so I can show it off when I make it back to the beach! I still have an FES bike on loan from a medical supplies company, however, it is an older machine and hasn’t been as reliable as I’d like when in operation. I always feel at my best just after a workout and I’m looking forward to those feelings returning once again. My Best Man, Bryan, is in the process of planning the “3rd Annual Scott Fedor DTD Tailgate Benefit” at Lehigh University on November 5. The proceeds raised this year will be used towards therapy sessions at Buckeye Wellness Center.
Surgery has been scheduled for November 4 to operate and remove the rods and screws from my skull and upper vertebrae. I recently had a visit with another neurosurgeon, who came highly recommended, to get a second opinion on my neck. Going into this appointment I expected to hear the same analysis – the rods aren’t providing much support anymore and removing them might allow for a few more degrees of movement. However, the diagnosis was a bit different. After an extensive Q&A session and detailed review of my x-rays and CT scans the chief neurosurgeon and his team of doctors gave me their opinion. It was explained to me that they believed the risk of surgery outweighed the benefit of removing the rods. The neurosurgeon delivered some sobering words when he told me that he believes there is a 5 to 10% chance I would not survive the surgery. I certainly didn’t expect to hear this, especially since I had a pretty serious surgery last September when I had the cough assist implanted. However, that surgery was mostly done in the lower thoracic region, whereas this procedure would be a few centimeters below the brain stem. While I handled the anesthesia and venting extremely well last time, there is no reason to tempt fate if it is not absolutely necessary. Thus, I have decided to cancel the surgery at this time. I plan to revisit the issue in six months.
Will and Betsy stopped by on Sunday for a visit. I was looking forward to seeing them, and was even more excited when Betsy showed up with a plate of homemade Halloween cupcakes topped with fun-fetti! I’ve already eaten three and have no intentions of slowing down – a clean plate is a happy plate (or does that only apply to vegetables?)! It was great to catch up with them for a few hours. Will and I discussed plans to build some type of treat dispenser that can be attached to my wheelchair which will allow me to reward my service dog. As I understand it, I will also need some type of apparatus to reward the monkey as well. “A monkey, a dog, two cats and a quad,” sounds like some type of weird movie title, but is exactly what this place may turn into in the near future. I plan to “give back” the cats to my mom, however, my parents recently found an eight-week-old stray kitten that is now living with them. Something tells me I may end up with four different mammal species living under one roof. Who needs the zoo, I could just charge admission to visit me. At least it would help with my therapy expenses…
That’s about it for now. Still plugging away on a few other business matters that should be wrapped up in a few weeks, right about the time the fun weather arrives.
Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers!
Scott