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Upon reading this, it made me angry that a doctor would yell at you for using the walker in his office. I would have told him where he could go and walked out! That was so unprofessional of him! You are lucky you are able to walk some on your own. What I wouldn’t give to be able to walk, even just a short distance, with a cane. I lost all ability to walk on my own when I had chemo. I only had three treatments but it destroyed both my feet and hands and my back is weak now and it won’t hold me up. I have a love hate relationship with my walker. I’m grateful I have it in my home but for longer walking sessions I hate it. My arms ache so much from using it. My physiotherapist feels that I need a deep massage to loosen up my tight neck and shoulder muscles. I have gone twice now to the same person for help with this but she doesn’t seem to know what a deep massage is. I am on a blood thinner so maybe she is afraid of bruising me but she is doing nothing to help fix my tight muscles. Both my feet are dropped and a podiatrist told me they are actually paralyzed. I use AFOs in my shoes to aid in walking. I have come to the conclusion that this is an affliction I will have to accept and carry on with my life the best I can. It was nice hearing from you. Next time a doctor talks to you like that you get up and leave. Use your walker to keep yourself safe. That’s the important thing. A fall could really hurt you worse than you are now. Take care an God bless you!
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I know that doctor was an exception, based on experiences I've had anyway. But I decided that since we only have precious few minutes with our doctors, going forward I want them to see my stronger, positive, more determined side, and not risk getting an inferior care decision made because of a perceived weakness. I was fortunate not to need that surgery; if I had ended up "needing" it to prolong life, I honestly believe he wouldn't have done it. At the time I was 55 years old; the sudden Neuropathy came on 3 years before that, and I was fit/thin & athletic, a long distance runner and avid cyclist.
So, I didn't need him and was moving to another state anyway; but I sadly found out during the move that I had throat cancer. My new doctors in my new state, esp. the Thoracic Oncologist, of course were going to treat me, but with my Neuropathy warned me & coached me hard about the need for me to stay strong, exercise, and eat & drink despite the pain. It was a given that treatment causes Neuropathy in a lot of patients, and here I was already having an Idiopathic Neuropathy before cancer treatment. I could not get weak and slide. They said most patients lose 20-30 pounds. They implanted a feeding tube in advance of chemo-radiation to make sure I would maintain nutrition and hydration but begged me to not give up swallowing. I am proud to say I ate soft food, drank 1700 calories of Ensure per day & never even needed to use my feeding tube. After my last treatment, I recorded in at 5 pounds heavier than the process that started 4 months earlier! My Oncologist said he only had one other patient actually gain weight during throat cancer treatment. Even better, I am cancer free for 2+ years, and in some odd way, I feel like my Neuropathy got a tad bit better (I can't help but wonder if it was the Immunotherapy)
I think the cancer fight is what has added to my determination. As you know, it's quite a battle, and is very hard for us to get back up afterward. I don't want my healthcare providers to doubt my ability to endure what's needed for my optimal care if faced with uncertainty again. I feel so badly for you with the major setback you've had. Please don't give up trying. For your massage - have you tried Myofascial Release Therapy? One of our mentors is a huge advocate for it. She has provided lists of certified therapists, but none have been reasonably close to the places I've lived. If they did, I would be scheduling with them. Might that be an option where you live?