On Thursday I called Dr. W the orthopod with the question I forgot to ask when I saw him earlier in the week: when can I start driving again? On Friday his assistant called back with the good word that as long as I could grip the steering wheel safely, he thinks it is okay to drive while wearing the brace.
As it happens, a few months ago my physical therapist gave me a sheet of blue sticky stuff to wrap around items in order to make them easier to grip. I was concerned that I didn't have a good handle on the steering wheel while bandaged, and this stuff was supposed to do the trick. Rik and I attached a strip around the 10 AM and 2 PM points on the steering wheel this morning and off I went!
I sat behind the wheel and heaved a great sigh of relief to feel more independent after 5+ weeks of having to be driven everywhere. The drive to shul is short and familiar. I got the last parking spot in the lot. If one hadn't been available, I would have turned around to go home and Rik could have taken me back and dropped me off. I didn't feel quite ready to parallel park on my first outing.
I plan to continue to ask for rides to medical appointments this week, since I really don't want to parallel park, or park far away and have to walk unescorted for a distance. I am still nervous about falling, even though I have not begun to develop the peripheral neuropathy that can be associated with the abraxane. And of course I am holding my chemo mantra in mind: well tolerated, minimal side effects, very effective.
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