03/03/21 Steps, and lifelines

Just a walk up to Pepper's Green Lane yesterday, followed by an afternoon helping Sue with her new phone. Still comfortably enough to beat my ring's activity target for the day.

Before myeloma I was quite persistent in trying to beat my daily "step target", using the combination of smartwatch and phone to record steps. But once I started using a walker that system fell apart, because the smooth movement doesn't register on the watch as separate steps (same thing used to happen with powered lawnmowers). Now I've joined this Muscles4Myeloma thing I've linked my ring to Google Fit and Google Fit to MoveSpring, which is running the the Muscles4Myeloma "Challenge". All a bit complicated, but the end result is that I've got a step count back. Yesterday was 3,967 (not a lot by some standards or even my old ones, but it'll get better) and I walked - or pushed a walker - 1.81 miles in the day. Monday was 4,675 steps and 2.19 miles. It works, I think, by a combination of GPS and stride length calculated from my height. It's good to have that back instead of my watch telling me I've done just a few hundred steps when I know perfectly well (often because Sue's been with me and her watch works OK because she doesn't use a walker) that I've done something over 5,000.

Today will be the first day of the two weeks without either dex or len. Can't deny I'm a little nervous about letting go of something I've come to think of as a bit of a lifeline. Dr.Ch said no need to monitor bloods for another four weeks but I think I might insist on a check in a week's time and again at the end of the two weeks. If the paraproteins start going up again we need to knock them back asap even at the expense of more fatigue and we won't know what they're doing unless we test... And as far as AXA is concerned, a couple of blood tests will be a lot cheaper than two weeks of Lenalidomide. Which reminds me that I probably should be in touch with them about this change in treatment.

I note a bit of swelling in my left ankle. Not as bad as the first time, but definitely there. I might treat myself to 40mg of Furosemide after breakfast. Nothing on the calendar apart from a webinar (terrible word!) on COVID vaccines and the immune system from 16:00 to 17:00 so should be able to fit in a good walk if I time it right.