Scattered Thoughts . . .

For the past two or three weeks (it seems like two or three months, actually), Sheila and I have been completely immersed in cancer stuff with little time nor energy for much else.  We've definitely eaten out significantly more often because we simply have had no time to cook on far too many days. All of our attention and all of our energy has been actively and acutely focused on doing everything possible to get beyond Sheila's cancer.  Yesterday morning, Sheila was a bit too emotional for driving to work nevermind working through the day so, instead of driving to work while trying to see through a wall of tears, she called work and arranged to have the day off to regroup. The dreaded thought and knowledge of lymph involvement and metastatizing of her breast cancer was a bit too overwhelming so we called a timeout from everything and we spent the day together doing "normal" things for a change. I took Sheila out to lunch and, for the most part, we talked abou

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

Liza and Kenzie dropped Lukey off at the house while they went for a wedding dress fitting.  The kids had brought some pizza with them for lunch so Lukey ate lunch with Gee while Liza and Kenzie went on their way.  Lukey and Kenzie had made and brought cards for Gee so that was a nice surprise! It was a nice day so we thought it would be best to find some activities to do outdoors. Besides, our house is a construction zone mess and there is no room indoors for toys at the moment. The deck would have to work. Gee is moving slowly and she cannot lift anything so there wouldn't be any of the usual playing. My condition, physically, is only a bit better than Gee's so Papa wouldn't be running around the backyard either. I decided to pulled the trains and the dollhouse out of the playroom and set them up on the deck instead... I had even built a little tunnel of pavers and rock for the trains... Lukey was exceptionally happy to be run

After showering this morning, I came back to the bedroom to find Sheila propped up in bed and reading.  Considering the circumstances, it seems she is feeling quite well but not well enough to be frustrated by the inactivity. I'm not sure boredom has stepped in yet either because she is probably still catching up on much needed rest and sleep.  What I have noticed and understand all too well is her careful search and selection of different positions in order to find some comfort and less pain. Right now she is taking her first shower since before the surgery so I expect her pain to increase after this little bit of activity and pressure. Any movement, so far, has been quite painful and she is still moving quite slowly. As I mentioned in previous blog entries, the area where the surgeon removed a few lymph nodes hurts the most and this still holds true this morning.  All in all, however, I think she is doing quite well considering the past week and a half... and, it was n

Before a patient can be discharged from Post-Op Recovery, the patient must be able to effectively void their bladder on their own. Of course, they should also be able to get themselves to the bathroom without falling over to the floor and their vitals should be in a safe, healthy range. If everything checks out okay, then the patient can be discharged and sent home to continue recovery. One of the problems Sheila has had consistently in her previous two surgeries was bladder paralysis due to general anesthesia. Her team of doctors worked together to come up with a solution so Sheila would not again experience this excruciating problem again this time around. Both Sheila and I are very happy to report that her team of doctors succeeded in solving this problem this time around! When Sheila was able to effectively void her bladder on her own by mid-afternoon, we began our journey of checking out of Recovery and the hospital. Here, Whitney is wheeling Sheila out of Post-Op Recovery...

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

Yesterday morning, we arose at o'dark thirty... unfortunately, not all that bright eyed and bushy tailed... so we could head north to check into the hospital for Sheila's third surgery related to recurring breast cancer.  I don't think either one of us slept all that well. I admit that I was a bit anxious and I know Sheila was a bit anxious too. Plus, I was concerned about oversleeping since we needed to get up so early. We arose on time, however, and were headed to the hospital within 45 minutes. We arrived at the hospital before sunrise and long before anyone else so we were treated to an empty parking garage and a front row parking spot... We headed directly to the Registration Desks to check in for today's surgery. While checking in, we had a nice conversation with the registration administrator about yoga, strength training, the kids, the grandkids, cruises and visiting Disney... After registration, we made the short walk to the end of the towering lo