Radiation, Chemo and Cardiac
I haven't been writing much about my health or Sheila's health lately as my health recovers from an all-time low over the past two months. I simply haven't had the energy to write much. Actually, we haven't really done much of anything in the past two months because of this significantly poor health. We have, however, been continuing with our medical care and appointments and I'm beginning to feel more like myself in recent days so I figured I should write a little bit about our latest health updates.
A week or two ago, Sheila had a followup appointment with her Radiation Oncologist so we found ourselves up in Burlington at the hospital again. Thankfully, that appointment was uneventful, even pleasant! The large area of Sheila's chest where she had endured radiation treatment has healed nicely over the past 11 months. Needless to say, we left the hospital feeling pretty good about having Radiation Oncology behind us... well... for now, anyway. Sheila thought it was behind her ten years ago too... but, in reality, she only had a bit of a break. So, we're both happy that this phase of treatment is behind her yet again.
Sheila's next followup appointment for her cancer treatment is with her Oncologist. That appointment is in another month or so. There are a few things to discuss there with this doctor so I think we're both looking forward to that appointment. It will be another one of those followup appointments that is more of a discussion than exam or diagnostics.
As always, whenever we find ourselves at the hospital in Burlington, we also do a little shopping while we're up there and we stop for a meal at a restaurant. We had a nice afternoon on this particular day.
A week or so later, we had to visit one of my doctors for my recurring and spreading skin cancer problem. So much for growing up at the beach and spending the first twenty years of my life in the sun on the south shore of Long Island. Beaches are no longer among my favorite places now. Actually, I see these flat, rather barren, sandy locales as places of death now... right up there with how I view smoking of any kind... a cancer breeding ground... in my mind, when I think of beaches, I sort of picture this is how hell must look and feel... like a hot, barren beach with the fiery, scorching sun roasting me and the hot sand blistering my feet. Although I'm not too fond of rain either (it makes it difficult seeing through my eyeglasses and, who enjoys being fully clothed and soaking wet?), I avoid the sun like the plague now and I must regularly address ongoing skin cancer.
Ironically, this skin cancer stuff has sparked an interest in studying our sun. On a sunny day you might find me in a big floppy jungle hat with my telescope pointed upward toward our sun. I'm constantly going in and out of the house while solar viewing so I can keep from overheating (terrible for my health) but I now have some sort of weird or even macabre interest in our closest star, our sun.
This skin cancer journey started more than ten years ago when a lump of cancer had grown deep into my cheek requiring surgery to remove it. The doctor removed a marble-sized lump of cancer requiring twenty-eight stitches and providing me with an unintentional one-sided facelift. The cancer was removed and all that remains is a long scar in the shape of a large L in front of my right ear and down along my jawline.
Over the past decade, more skin cancer has been removed in some of my biannual appointments. Since the surgery, there have been a few biopsies and a few times when multiple cancerous lesions were treated with cryotherapy. In this treatment, the doctor uses liquid nitrogen to freeze and kill the cancer. I'm finding that although that treatment method is relatively painless, it really isn't all that effective or perhaps my sun damaged skin is beyond repair.
At this point, my skin cancer problem area has grown from beyond my cheek to the rest of my face, my forehead, my scalp and my arms. This is too widespread for the use of cryotherapy so, this time around, the doctor discussed chemotherapy with me. She explained this treatment option to Sheila and me and then paused... I think I sort of shrugged and then I asked for her opinion on whether we should go ahead with this treatment option or not... thankfully, she then said there would be no harm in waiting a bit.
At that point, I think I was pretty happy with hearing that chemotherapy wasn't absolutely needed and we made a quick exit after making another followup appointment. In hindsight, perhaps I should have asked a few more questions but, if she didn't think chemotherapy was needed right now, I was happy to leave it at that. We've had enough health issues and related bad news over the past year or more. We headed home a bit relieved.
This past Sunday evening, Sheila informed me that she had chest pains and tightness twice over the weekend. I asked her how she was feeling at the moment and she said, "Fine". We discussed the pain she had felt in her chest, where, how and then decided that she needed to see a doctor first thing in the morning.
Monday morning, we found ourselves headed to the doctor again to, hopefully, rule out any cardiac problems for Sheila.
This has been a little bit of a concern due to having her second radiation treatment for her second breast cancer. There is only so much the heart and chest cavity can take when it comes to radiation and, this second time around, they were a bit more widespread with the radiation and far more aggressive than the first time around. Most of her radiation this time around was very focused but, because she had lymph involvement this time around, they also did some widespread radiation therapy. So this is always a little bit of a concern.
Sheila's family history of cardiac problems didn't help any so we got to the doctor as soon as possible but avoided any ER's since she was no longer experiencing any pain or discomfort.
Long story short... Sheila's heart seems fine which is the news we both wanted. Radiation therapy can cause issues like this but the doctor is leaning a different direction. Before heading back to the Radiation Oncologist, she wants Sheila to try Prilosec for a week or two while also stepping up her Oncology Acupuncture to address issues related to esophageal cramping and pressure. This cramping could be due to stress (too little sleep, too many health problems and not enough fun), or her radiation therapy, or simply age (which, unfortunately, is old!).
Sheila is still having difficulty sleeping and, as a result, is left completely drained each day. She is even beginning each day drained. This is a fairly common problem with the phase of treatment that she is in now but that doesn't make it any easier. Unfortunately, she still has another nine years in this phase of treatment. At this point, Sheila doesn't want to go another nine minutes feeling this drained nevermind another nine years! So, we also discussed possible ways to minimize her sleep issues... which may also have some bearing on her chest pain lately.
So we left the doctor, again, happy with the advice and outcome. So far, Sheila hasn't had any additional chest pain, cramping or pressure so that is good news.
We're hoping to breeze right into Thanksgiving with relatively stable and good health... for both of us!
Sheila's next followup appointment for her cancer treatment is with her Oncologist. That appointment is in another month or so. There are a few things to discuss there with this doctor so I think we're both looking forward to that appointment. It will be another one of those followup appointments that is more of a discussion than exam or diagnostics.
As always, whenever we find ourselves at the hospital in Burlington, we also do a little shopping while we're up there and we stop for a meal at a restaurant. We had a nice afternoon on this particular day.
A week or so later, we had to visit one of my doctors for my recurring and spreading skin cancer problem. So much for growing up at the beach and spending the first twenty years of my life in the sun on the south shore of Long Island. Beaches are no longer among my favorite places now. Actually, I see these flat, rather barren, sandy locales as places of death now... right up there with how I view smoking of any kind... a cancer breeding ground... in my mind, when I think of beaches, I sort of picture this is how hell must look and feel... like a hot, barren beach with the fiery, scorching sun roasting me and the hot sand blistering my feet. Although I'm not too fond of rain either (it makes it difficult seeing through my eyeglasses and, who enjoys being fully clothed and soaking wet?), I avoid the sun like the plague now and I must regularly address ongoing skin cancer.
Ironically, this skin cancer stuff has sparked an interest in studying our sun. On a sunny day you might find me in a big floppy jungle hat with my telescope pointed upward toward our sun. I'm constantly going in and out of the house while solar viewing so I can keep from overheating (terrible for my health) but I now have some sort of weird or even macabre interest in our closest star, our sun.
This skin cancer journey started more than ten years ago when a lump of cancer had grown deep into my cheek requiring surgery to remove it. The doctor removed a marble-sized lump of cancer requiring twenty-eight stitches and providing me with an unintentional one-sided facelift. The cancer was removed and all that remains is a long scar in the shape of a large L in front of my right ear and down along my jawline.
Over the past decade, more skin cancer has been removed in some of my biannual appointments. Since the surgery, there have been a few biopsies and a few times when multiple cancerous lesions were treated with cryotherapy. In this treatment, the doctor uses liquid nitrogen to freeze and kill the cancer. I'm finding that although that treatment method is relatively painless, it really isn't all that effective or perhaps my sun damaged skin is beyond repair.
At this point, my skin cancer problem area has grown from beyond my cheek to the rest of my face, my forehead, my scalp and my arms. This is too widespread for the use of cryotherapy so, this time around, the doctor discussed chemotherapy with me. She explained this treatment option to Sheila and me and then paused... I think I sort of shrugged and then I asked for her opinion on whether we should go ahead with this treatment option or not... thankfully, she then said there would be no harm in waiting a bit.
At that point, I think I was pretty happy with hearing that chemotherapy wasn't absolutely needed and we made a quick exit after making another followup appointment. In hindsight, perhaps I should have asked a few more questions but, if she didn't think chemotherapy was needed right now, I was happy to leave it at that. We've had enough health issues and related bad news over the past year or more. We headed home a bit relieved.
This past Sunday evening, Sheila informed me that she had chest pains and tightness twice over the weekend. I asked her how she was feeling at the moment and she said, "Fine". We discussed the pain she had felt in her chest, where, how and then decided that she needed to see a doctor first thing in the morning.
Monday morning, we found ourselves headed to the doctor again to, hopefully, rule out any cardiac problems for Sheila.
This has been a little bit of a concern due to having her second radiation treatment for her second breast cancer. There is only so much the heart and chest cavity can take when it comes to radiation and, this second time around, they were a bit more widespread with the radiation and far more aggressive than the first time around. Most of her radiation this time around was very focused but, because she had lymph involvement this time around, they also did some widespread radiation therapy. So this is always a little bit of a concern.
Sheila's family history of cardiac problems didn't help any so we got to the doctor as soon as possible but avoided any ER's since she was no longer experiencing any pain or discomfort.
Long story short... Sheila's heart seems fine which is the news we both wanted. Radiation therapy can cause issues like this but the doctor is leaning a different direction. Before heading back to the Radiation Oncologist, she wants Sheila to try Prilosec for a week or two while also stepping up her Oncology Acupuncture to address issues related to esophageal cramping and pressure. This cramping could be due to stress (too little sleep, too many health problems and not enough fun), or her radiation therapy, or simply age (which, unfortunately, is old!).
Sheila is still having difficulty sleeping and, as a result, is left completely drained each day. She is even beginning each day drained. This is a fairly common problem with the phase of treatment that she is in now but that doesn't make it any easier. Unfortunately, she still has another nine years in this phase of treatment. At this point, Sheila doesn't want to go another nine minutes feeling this drained nevermind another nine years! So, we also discussed possible ways to minimize her sleep issues... which may also have some bearing on her chest pain lately.
So we left the doctor, again, happy with the advice and outcome. So far, Sheila hasn't had any additional chest pain, cramping or pressure so that is good news.
We're hoping to breeze right into Thanksgiving with relatively stable and good health... for both of us!
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