P6: Spring chickens

Today's left grip is 51 pounds (50.5, 50.5, 51), right grip 99 pounds (88, 99, 94) -- a record since we began the ceftriaxone on 2/2/05, and inhale is 4500 mL. Maybe the new double dose of penicillin is having an effect, maybe it's because I am getting better sleep, and maybe this is just a normal fluctuation that would have happened anyway. I have to remind myself that if I am still able to walk four years from now, and I can't prove why, that's a good outcome.

My mom is almost 80, and when I had her use the dynamometer yesterday, her left grip was 42 pounds and her right grip 40 pounds. My dad is almost 83 and his left grip was 40. We didn't test his right grip because he's recently had an operation on that arm for carpal tunnel syndrome. It's still swollen up. He was lamenting that he used to be able to do 25 pushups with no problem, but that the other day he could only do three. Mostly because of the hand. Used-to-be means three years ago before he had a heart attack, had angioplasty, got cancer, was operated on to remove the tumor, and had radiation and chemotherapy. Then came the kidney stone operation, in which they had to go in through his back instead of the front, because the cancer scar was still healing on the front.

Sounds like fun, huh?

I told him that the other day I could do zero pushups. I didn't tell them that until recently my grip strength was lower than theirs.

Last night our daughter slept all night and our son only woke us up once at 4:50 a.m. He used to insist on being taken back to bed, but now he's willing to go on his own after a few exchanges.