Scattered Thoughts . . .

Yesterday was a long and exhausting day which began as w e headed northward to the hospital in the morning for a relatively grueling day in Radiation Oncology. We both seemed a bit exhausted right from the get-go yesterday so we knew we were in for a fairly rough day. We managed to get the hospital visit and a few errands out of the way with little difficulty though. The appointment started with making a mold for Sheila so she could/would remain perfectly still during her radiation treatments. I wasn't allowed in the room for this so I have no photos even though this is one of the things I definitely wanted to capture in photos because it is rarely seen. Unfortunately, I was told I needed to remain in the waiting room for this part of the appointment which I found quite disappointing and a bit frustrating. This diversion in the waiting room allowed me to catch up on some reading while struggling to stay awake. In hindsight, I should have just taken a nap in the waiting room!  

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

Yesterday, we spent the day at the hospital running from appointment to appointment and squeezing in a couple of unscheduled stops too.  We had thought it would be a straightforward day with no significant news (which means we expected no stress and no problems) . Not only did we receive some new news but we found that there is such a thing as different levels of bad news. We started at Genetics. Here we discussed new genetic tests that help determine whether there are any known genetic components to Sheila's cancer. If we find that there are any known genetic components, then Sheila's children and grandchildren will be on a completely different and more aggressive preventive medicine schedule than that recommended for the general public.  The purpose of this genetic testing is to rate the risk of cancer being carried genetically through statistics and common cancer genes in order to avoid potential cancer getting out of hand in any children or grandchildren before the r

The surgery for Sheila's recurrence of breast cancer was yesterday so the day was spent at the hospital. For me, it was a day of just waiting and waiting... for Sheila, her day was a bit more hectic, invasive and painful. This time around, Sheila's opposite breast has a tumor shaped sort of like a bell or a Hershey's Kiss and measures 10mm x 15mm (approximately a little less than 1/2" x 5/8"). The imaging was showing no signs of the cancer being beyond the perimeter of the tumor so that was quite good news. Regardless, some lymph nodes needed to be removed and biopsied as well just to be sure the cancer has not spread into the lymphatic system. The team of doctors seems to be quite positive though.  So, before sunrise yesterday morning, we headed to the hospital to start the pre-op stuff for surgery. Here, Sheila is getting dressed (well...  undressed, really) for surgery... Discussing some of the proposed day's events with one of the nurses as she pr