I've got a few major updates for all of you.

First of all, we've made a plan. I'm still probably going to be discharged on September 2nd, but I won't be going home right away. Going home might not happen for several months yet. Rather, my social worker is looking for a place for me in a long-term care facility as a short-term housing solution. Yes, I'm going to be housed with elderly patients for a while, but that's just because the facility will be wheelchair-accessible, have any and all equipment I might need to attend to my daily needs, and there will be trained staff on hand should I need them. I just need somewhere safe to stay while my body heals, and this is the best solution for now. We'll be continuing therapy while I'm in the long-term care facility, and I may become an inpatient in the rehabilitation hospital again if my rate of progress really takes off.

Second, I've begun trying out a power chair, and I'm loving it! I came in with the misconception that power chairs are just for people in really bad shape, like quadriplegics. Thankfully, my healthcare team smartened me up about that one by pointing out that using a power chair at least part of the time will grant me more independence: I can go to more distant places by myself, I can get everywhere much faster than in a manual chair, I can conquer more obstacles because the chair does all the work, and it will make snow a much smaller issue in the winter if I still need chair by then. I'll still have a manual chair as a backup in case the power chair needs maintenance or charging, plus I can scoot around in small spaces just fine with a manual chair without tiring myself right out.

Finally, my CK levels are down again! The last test came back as 3140 -- down from 5400! I'm hoping that this means that the rituximab is finally kicking in, rather than last week's test result just being a lab error or something of the like. You see, rituximab is a funny drug. It works miracles for some people, and doesn't work at all for others; when it does work, it can take two weeks to several months to do its job. If it does work for me, then it should bring my CK levels down to normal. That will mean that there will no longer be any ongoing damage done to my muscles. I'll start bouncing back much more quickly because my rate of healing won't have to outpace any sort of damage.

This has been a quick, but important update. Hopefully I'll have access to the computer again tomorrow or the day after so I can get to one of the essays I have in mind.