Scattered Thoughts . . .

Taking a break in the hospital's cafe. Things have pretty much moved into the extremely monotonous stage of treatment. For the most part, we do the same exact thing every single day. We go to the hospital and see the same people each and every day.  Our days are so monotonous that Sheila says she feels as though she is in the movie "Groundhog Day". Each week, we have to squeeze in a visit with the Radiation Oncologist... another day we squeeze in a visit with the nurse... another day is another doctor... and another day is acupuncture for oncology patients. Even with these added visits, things have become quite monotonous. The daily radiation has already started to create a visible burn like a sunburn. The entire right side of her chest... all the way around to under her arm... is getting darker like she spent too much time in the sun. There is some swelling... some relatively minor pain (especially if she attempts to run)... and definitely some irritation from

Unfortunately, Sheila's health has been deteriorating more and more each day since beginning her radiation treatment last week. It actually has been pretty frightening watching this happen! The primary reason for this deteriorating health is that she picked up a cold right when treatment began and her overall health has been spiraling downward ever since.  Sleeping has been difficult for her for a number of reasons mostly related to her cancer treatments and surgeries starting 11 years ago so she is now getting worn down to dangerous levels. This second fight with cancer has only exasperated the problem.  She is also dealing with a weakened immune system now because she has started radiation treatment. About a week ago, she added a nasty cold into the mix which includes her radiation-induced weakened immune system and the result is that her declining health has quickly become out of control. Her Radiation Oncologist noticed this declining health in our visit to her yeste

It is amazing what just a couple of nights of halfway decent sleep can do for one's emotional well-being! After our appointment with the Oncologist and putting that stressful waiting period behind us (awaiting test results which determine specific treatment)... and after arranging for counseling with an outstanding counselor specializing in cancer... and after arranging for insurance coverage for additional treatment to help with the side-effects of ten years of cancer treatment... Sheila managed to get a couple of nights of halfway decent sleep.   She still didn't sleep well and she is still understandably struggling with some anxiety but she managed to calm down enough to catch up on a little bit of sleep. This was enough to see a visible difference in Sheila's demeanor this morning.   That is great news! This evening we'll be making some Kansas City-style country ribs and homemade fries... That should help with both of our attitudes!

Sheila and I just arrived back home from the hospital again.  We spent much of the day at the hospital yesterday with a visit to Sheila's Oncologist and we had to go back first thing this morning for a bone density scan. We're both exhausted but I thought I would add a few updates about Sheila's treatment before taking a nap. For the past couple of weeks, we had been waiting on test results which would classify the risks of Sheila's specific cancer (in both the tumor in the breast and the lymph nodes). This classification would help us (including the medical team) make the decisions about specific treatment plans. Actually, the wait for these test results seemed like a couple of months and this unexpectedly long wait has definitely affected Sheila emotionally.  Although few people see it or realize it, all chronically ill patients go through a series of emotions which is a bit like being strapped to an emotional rollercoaster. Most times, these patients will ca

Although the doctor who spoke with us after Sheila's ultrasound had already told us that he was absolutely certain that what was found in Sheila's imaging was indeed cancer, we did receive word today from the Breast Care Center that the biopsy results from the other day are definitely positive. So, there are no surprises at this point. We expected the biopsy to indicate this outcome. After all, we already viewed the imaging ourselves in real time and know what we saw.  Regardless, it was still a little difficult for Sheila to hear the nurse say "the results are positive". Nobody wants to hear that even if you are already prepared for it and well versed in hearing it. What is more important in these particular biopsy results is not whether the results are positive or negative but finding out more specific information about the type of cancer and available therapies after surgery for this type of cancer. We'll be discussing these specifics with the Oncology Surg