Big Improvements!

Saturday evening, and I am amazed at the progress and changes I've been through this week.

On Monday, I stopped taking my painkillers, as I found that my pain (much dimished, now) was the same whether I took the drugs or not. I can really feel that I have been gaining strength and endurance during the day since I have not been taking the medications. I am so glad to be off of these strong meds, and I feel sharper and much more alert.

Mostly just worked around the house during the week, catching up on some things that just needed doing.

On thursday, Bruce and I met a the beach and went for a powered paragliding flight up the coast at sunset. Bruce foot launched and I flew the Bullet Trike. With Bruce's help, we were easily able to carry the trike down the short rocky steps to the beach, making it possible flor me to fly comfortably. Afterwards, we basked in the enjoyment that comes when you have such a nice flight with a friend.

On friday, I asked Bob Peloquin if he wanted to go to the Santa Ynez airport to fly, since I knew he had just finished his new "fire engine" TrikeBuggy, a beautiful polished Stainless Steel version that he designed some new parts for. It uses the heavy Hirth 313 motor, so I knew the beach would be difficult, so off we went for another magical evening flight in the Santa Ynez Valley. I took a bunch of pictures of Bob flying, and I will post a link to them as soon as I put them up.

Today I went to the training hill and flew with the students as the wind increased during the morning. By noon, the day was warming up with the west wind increasing, and the lift started kicking in. As it was a bit sporty for the students, we had them practice kiting in the higher wind back far enough they would not be plucked off the hill into the turbulent conditions. This was my chance to go get some airtime! Gleny and I got some great thermals and climbed well above the top many times. I even got to soar in Tammy's Falcon 170 Hang Glider, as her student deemed the conditions a little above her level. What a great day at the hill!

After coming home and a short nap, Lee Anne and I went into Ojai to "Ojai Day" - a celebration in the center of town featuring food, crafts, jewelry, live performances, and much more. It was a party in the streets of Ojai! The food smelled so good to me, but I knew that I needed to wait and eat smart back at home later. My throat is still sensitive to many foods, and I am reluctant to find out the hard way!

I feel like I am really turning the corner and coming down the home stretch. With this kind of progress, watch out - I'll be back at full speed soon! It feels so good to join the LIVING again!

Also, I appreciate any and all who have sent their comments. I know I have not been able to respond to each and every one, but I still appreciate the thoughts and well-wishes you have sent. THANK YOU!!

Monday, October 13th

Another week of recovery, and all I can say is wow, does this go slow! I had no idea that I had not written since Oct 4th, so here is another update.

Almost a month after the end of my radiation, I am still very affected by the treatment. My throat feels like it is on fire, still very sore and difficult to eat with. I am so glad I have the PEG tube for feeding, I don't think I would have been able to get enough nutrition any other way. We stopped for some Tom Kha Khai (coconut chicken soup) at a local Thai restaurant, but after a spoonful I realized that the spice was going to be WAY too much for me. For the next 10 minutes or so, I was in much pain and discomfort as the effect of the spices got to me. I guess it will be awhile before I'll be eating Thai!

I got to go to the Training Hill yesterday for some kiting and socializing with the pilots, it was really great to get back out and see people. Lots of pilots were getting up in the mountains, and it was fun to see them getting some! I can hardly wait to join in again.

I have been a real hermit during this recovery, but even after yesterday, I have to be careful to not overdo it. Today, I'm paying the price of my activities yesterday. I am so used to being able to just go DO things, and I have to be patient with the process, as I can see it still going to take awhile. It surprises me now to realize how brutal this treatment really was on me, but I am glad I am making progress, even if very slow. Patience...

Saturday Update

Improvement seems to come so slow, and slow it is. Today, I had oatmeal, soup and a 7-Up, in addition to the liquid nutrition I have become so used to. It feels good to eat some textured, regular food, and I think I will try to do as much as that as I can. It hurts my mouth and throat a lot, so I can only take so much, but I think that every bite I take helps me improve.