Physical Therapy for Sheila
I think I mentioned in a previous blog entry that Sheila will be starting physical therapy but I could be wrong. Neither one of us is thinking all that clearly because our heads are spinning again due to being immersed in hospital visits and thoughts of new problems with Sheila's health (relatively small problems, however). In case I haven't written about it before, I suppose I'll write about it now.
When we saw Sheila's Oncology Radiologist in early January, the doctor noticed that Sheila still has some significant swelling in the area of her affected breast and her side where they removed the cancer. She then asked Sheila about any pain. Sheila sort of shrugged her shoulders and said something like, "well... nothing that is unexpected after surgery and radiation."
The doctor gave her a questioning look and asked, "what are you referring to as nothing that is unexpected?" She also added that the swelling she is seeing in Sheila is not normal.
Sheila and I were a bit surprised and I think we both said to ourselves, "ut-ohhh... now what?"
Sheila then explained that she has been experiencing some pain in her breast as well as in the area under her arm where they removed the affected lymph nodes (both clean nodes and cancerous nodes) but only in certain circumstances. She's had surgery and rather aggressive radiation therapy in the past six months so we both figured a little bit of pain would probably be normal. It really hasn't been a long time since the surgery and radiation.
Apparently, what Sheila is experiencing is not all that normal. Well... it is normal for Sheila's particular situation but she doesn't need to just live with this pain and swelling as we had thought. The doctor explained that what she is seeing in Sheila isn't terrible but it is concerning. The good news, however, is that this swelling and pain could be corrected with appropriate physical therapy and it needs to be corrected before things worsen.
This finding brought up the subject of whether or not she did any physical therapy after the first surgery on her other breast 11 years ago. She had not done any physical therapy and, just as is the case this time around, she just assumed the lingering pain she was experiencing was just something she would have to endure as a result of cancer. The general thought was that this little bit of pain in only certain circumstances was certainly better than still having cancer and having the cancer continue spreading. We felt it was an acceptable trade-off... no cancer ---> a little bit of pain.
This time around, however, things are a bit more complicated because her body took a beating twice... cancer in each breast and some lymph node involvement this second time around. The lymphatic system on each side of her body is now struggling to do its job so her body needs some help in healing.
So Sheila is left with lymphedema affecting her breast and her side. She is also experiencing pain when trying to exercise, walk stairs, and even while trying to sleep. The good news is that things could be far worse and they are not.
Fortunately, there is physical therapy which can help resolve this problem and Sheila started that a week ago. She does some physical therapy every day at home and we go to a rehabilitation center at the hospital once a week for treatment and physical therapy guidance for her continued therapy at home each day. So far, things are going well.
As for me, I had an unexpected experience at the rehab facility at the hospital yesterday. Yesterday was the first time I had visited such a facility since my own long, grueling recovery from two line-of-duty spinal injuries almost 20 years ago. I still continue with my physical therapy almost every day but I am far removed from the rehab centers and that environment. Additionally, this was in the same hospital where I had my first bone marrow biopsy for my subsequent illness. None of these memories are all that pleasant and I did not expect them to come flooding back yesterday.
As we walked into this new center yesterday, the memories came flooding back... the pain, trying to simply walk across a room again... the physical struggles... the emotional struggles... the personal struggles... even the career problems due to my injuries. Unfortunately, I found that I was reliving all of this again as we walked through the facility. I have to admit that it was tough keeping my emotions in check. We managed to get out of there without anyone really noticing my discomfort. I was a bit surprised by this discomfort though. Those not-so-pleasant memories were flashing back to me like a flurry of punches to the gut... one after the other... unrelenting... and I felt it in my gut.
The good thing about all these medical appointments, procedures and treatments is that this allows us to eat out at a restaurant together quite often. As always, after leaving the hospital yesterday, we headed to a late lunch together. This time, however, we stumbled upon a table of Sheila's relatives whom she hadn't seen in many, many years. This excited Sheila and it is always nice to have a pleasant surprise!
Had I been thinking clearly, I would have taken my camera out to get a few photos of everyone. Neither one of us were really thinking all that clearly though.
When we saw Sheila's Oncology Radiologist in early January, the doctor noticed that Sheila still has some significant swelling in the area of her affected breast and her side where they removed the cancer. She then asked Sheila about any pain. Sheila sort of shrugged her shoulders and said something like, "well... nothing that is unexpected after surgery and radiation."
The doctor gave her a questioning look and asked, "what are you referring to as nothing that is unexpected?" She also added that the swelling she is seeing in Sheila is not normal.
Sheila and I were a bit surprised and I think we both said to ourselves, "ut-ohhh... now what?"
Sheila then explained that she has been experiencing some pain in her breast as well as in the area under her arm where they removed the affected lymph nodes (both clean nodes and cancerous nodes) but only in certain circumstances. She's had surgery and rather aggressive radiation therapy in the past six months so we both figured a little bit of pain would probably be normal. It really hasn't been a long time since the surgery and radiation.
Apparently, what Sheila is experiencing is not all that normal. Well... it is normal for Sheila's particular situation but she doesn't need to just live with this pain and swelling as we had thought. The doctor explained that what she is seeing in Sheila isn't terrible but it is concerning. The good news, however, is that this swelling and pain could be corrected with appropriate physical therapy and it needs to be corrected before things worsen.
This finding brought up the subject of whether or not she did any physical therapy after the first surgery on her other breast 11 years ago. She had not done any physical therapy and, just as is the case this time around, she just assumed the lingering pain she was experiencing was just something she would have to endure as a result of cancer. The general thought was that this little bit of pain in only certain circumstances was certainly better than still having cancer and having the cancer continue spreading. We felt it was an acceptable trade-off... no cancer ---> a little bit of pain.
This time around, however, things are a bit more complicated because her body took a beating twice... cancer in each breast and some lymph node involvement this second time around. The lymphatic system on each side of her body is now struggling to do its job so her body needs some help in healing.
So Sheila is left with lymphedema affecting her breast and her side. She is also experiencing pain when trying to exercise, walk stairs, and even while trying to sleep. The good news is that things could be far worse and they are not.
Fortunately, there is physical therapy which can help resolve this problem and Sheila started that a week ago. She does some physical therapy every day at home and we go to a rehabilitation center at the hospital once a week for treatment and physical therapy guidance for her continued therapy at home each day. So far, things are going well.
As for me, I had an unexpected experience at the rehab facility at the hospital yesterday. Yesterday was the first time I had visited such a facility since my own long, grueling recovery from two line-of-duty spinal injuries almost 20 years ago. I still continue with my physical therapy almost every day but I am far removed from the rehab centers and that environment. Additionally, this was in the same hospital where I had my first bone marrow biopsy for my subsequent illness. None of these memories are all that pleasant and I did not expect them to come flooding back yesterday.
As we walked into this new center yesterday, the memories came flooding back... the pain, trying to simply walk across a room again... the physical struggles... the emotional struggles... the personal struggles... even the career problems due to my injuries. Unfortunately, I found that I was reliving all of this again as we walked through the facility. I have to admit that it was tough keeping my emotions in check. We managed to get out of there without anyone really noticing my discomfort. I was a bit surprised by this discomfort though. Those not-so-pleasant memories were flashing back to me like a flurry of punches to the gut... one after the other... unrelenting... and I felt it in my gut.
The good thing about all these medical appointments, procedures and treatments is that this allows us to eat out at a restaurant together quite often. As always, after leaving the hospital yesterday, we headed to a late lunch together. This time, however, we stumbled upon a table of Sheila's relatives whom she hadn't seen in many, many years. This excited Sheila and it is always nice to have a pleasant surprise!
Had I been thinking clearly, I would have taken my camera out to get a few photos of everyone. Neither one of us were really thinking all that clearly though.
Comments
Post a Comment