Well, as much as Tom is emotionally ready to return to work, he is not physically able right now. He has an impending return-to-work date of Aug 24th but after an examination by his neurologist last week the doctor is not entirely in favor of the idea.
The neurologist sent us a copy of the most recent medical records which basically say:
*speech is normal but a little slow
*absent ankle reflexes
*mild ataxia and cognitive slowing caused by multifocal white matter disease seen on MRI
*cerebral graft-versus-host disease
*slow and wide gait
*reduced light touch sensation in lower legs
*high risk of morbidity
We are going to request that Tom be placed on "disability auto-pilot", aka long-term disability. I'm tired of having to fill out extended return-to-work requests every six weeks, and I'm pretty sure his superiors at work must feel the same. Simply put, he isn't giving himself enough time to mend - it's like taking off a band-aide before the wound has fully healed. I hope they will not write Tom off at this point as that would crush what remaining self-confidence he still holds.
4 comments:
Hey there Lisa,
I had to look up the word morbidity since it sounded fatal. It turns out it means "illness." So, high risk of morbidity evidently means that Sir Thomas has a high risk of catching germs from others.
That is actually reassuring, because it isn't fatal, just a susceptibility to everyone else's health problems.
Tom seems very up and intelligent when we see him and talk to him, so you guys keep your spirits up. This too shall pass. We hope Tom is making the most of his time by learning new things.
Love,
Richard and Norma
Whew! Thank you Richard for looking up the definition to morbidity and posting your comments. I kind of panicked when I saw that word so I'm glad to know it's not relative to "fatal". Tom is going to overcome this but having grown up with the hyper dude, I know that he is not very patient. So, Tom, just relax, kick butt on your physical therapy, enjoy this down time and recover. Hang in there! Love ya,
Elise
Thinking about you guys!!
I wanted to share a heart-felt video called “Stand Up To Cancer”— http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9avVoQB2_rQ> . This video highlights the importance of managing your cancer treatment and avoiding infection. Please watch and share with all your loved ones.
Best of wishes
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