Mom Update # 2

Yes, I know I said I would update regularly.  I’ve been wanting to find the time and today it is.  I had no idea of all of the things you had to do before anything could be done.  So lets see where we are.  First of all, we have met with the surgeon, the radiologist, and on Friday, the oncologist.  That’s a lot of specialists.  But of course everything has to take its time and course.  Mom is getting a little ancy ( if that is how you spell it , I don’t know).   Keeps saying  she is starting to hurt really bad.  So on Monday of last week we took her to her regular Dr.  She gave her some pain meds that mom won’t take or can’t.  They made her sick, so no more of that.  But of course the pain went away.  (hmmm)

Her surgery is set for June 6th and radiation is set for June 13th – 17th.  This going to be hard for the three of us just to be able get her there and back and there again.  Living something like 30 miles away and having to do the treatments twice a day is going to be a roller coaster ride.  Especially since the treatments themselves take 30 minutes or so and the time in between is about 6 hours.  But surely with three of us working at it, we should be able to do it.  Like I said in previous post , she is having the 5 Day Mammosite Radiation Treatment  procedure.  2 treatments of radiation for 5 days.  Then it should be over.  If she can handle it.  Not sure what we will do in between visits. 

She seems to be in good spirits and pretty much understands what is going on and what we are going to do.  She can’t seem to keep up with everything and of course asks quite a bit what we do next.  What are we doing and things like that.  She constantly wants to know if they are going to take off her whole boob and we assure her that isn’t going to be the case.   Hopefully after all of this, it will be gone, but there is always the chance it can come back or appear somewhere else.   We’ll hoe that row when we get to it.  But for now, we just hang on for the ride.

Thank you for all your prayers and thoughts.  They do mean a lot and we are all grateful we have each other.  I’m thinking about all of you that are going through what you are.  Just know, you can call me 24 hours a day if you need to talk, or need any help.  I’ll do what I can.  I love you all and now I need to go check on mom.  Next update pretty soon.  Sooner that this one was I hope. 

Update Mom, #1

 

Charlotte

I’m going to do updates as they come in and as I find the time.  In my last post,  “How“, I told you Mom had Breast Cancer.  I was wrestling with having to tell him (Troy) and her.  I finally got a chance to talk to him alone, and in person.  Something like this doesn’t need to be said on the phone, if it can be helped.  He said he pretty much already figured it, so we both decided that we would wait until Sunday.  The day before the visit with the surgeon.  That way she wouldn’t worry and fret and miss sleep.  On Sunday evening we sat down.  Troy, his girlfriend, (which by the way is Wonderful!), Mom and me.  

We talked for a while, then I looked at all three, who were looking at me.  Conversation:

Me – “Mom, we have something we want to tell you.”

Mom -”You’re Not Putting Me In A Home.  You Hear Me?”

Me – “Oh, hell no Mother”

Mom - ”You better not, I’ll whip your a–” ( We laughed a bit)

Me – “Your results came back and you do have breast cancer”

Mom – “Oh, is that all?  I already knew that.  But let me tell you one thing, they’re not taking my boob, you hear me? ”

We laughed a bit, all of us.  So we discussed the matter a little more and she seemed fine and just wanted to know what we do next.  It was kinda like talking about what to have for dinner.  Wheww.  I was really worried that she would loose it and we all would be crying.  Thank You Lord!  So see, I’m a worrier, that’s just how I roll. 

So now to the visit with the surgeon.  Her name is Dr Burene or Buerne, I can’t remember.  (I am sure sometimes that I have Alzheimer’s too.  Just another phobia of mine).  Anyway, the four of us, Troy, Teresa, Mom and myself go the appointment.  When we get there, Mom and I go into the room and the Dr, does a sonogram to take a few more pictures and shows us both where it is located.  Very cool looking little thingie.  (The cancer, not her boob!  Keep up with me now).  It looks like a little tadpole, Dr points to a very black spot amongst a bunch of white and gray area.  She points out that it has a tail.  Wow, never saw something like that before.  But it did, it looked like a black tadpole. 

She then brings Troy and Teresa in the room, (after Mom has redressed, Dr didn’t want to have more than one person in for that, said too many people for such a small room might make Mom nervous, being all undressed and everything).  She then tells us our options, of course Mom pipes up and says, “You can’t have my Boob!”  Gotta Love Her! 

Her cancer is a stage 2  out of 1,2, or 3.  It is very small, about the size of the tip of your pinky.  (a womans, as a mans might be bigger).  Dr gave a bunch of information and options, first she would receive a lumpectomy.  Which basically means they take just the cancer tissue and a small amount of good tissue out.  But then recommend a procedure called   Five Day MammoSite Radiation Treatment  which is basically 10 treatments for 5 days, twice a day.  I’ve given you the link if you’re interested in finding out more about it. 

Supposedly the kind of treatment is very, very successful, and doesn’t make the patient undergo weeks of treatment.  Which is what we have decided to try.  Mom said she was ok with whatever as long as she didn’t lose her boob. Of Course.  So we are going to try it and see how she handles it.  If it looks like she may not be able to do this, we’ll try something else.  But for now this is how we’ll go. 

 Thank you again everyone for your support, prayers and love.  We need all we can get.  I’ll do another update next week.  Friday we go in for an MRI as they want to double-check to make sure there isn’t anymore cancer hiding anywhere else they may have missed.  Mucho Loves to all of you!

How

Yep, something I have to do today.  But I don’t know how.  Excactly how do you tell someone with Alzheimer’s they now have breast cancer?  I thought everything up to this point was hard.  Now Troy, mom, and I are faced with this. 

About a month ago, I took mom for a routine mamogram.  We are all about staying up to date with them as it runs in the family. (Kinda like Alzheimer’s).  For some reason mom hid her results from me for a few weeks.  It wasn’t until the Dr called to say we needed to set up an appointment for a biopsy that I even heard about it.  So we quickly had it schedualed and did what we had to do. 

It was a week later before we heard anything from the doctor.  I called everyday, but told no one had looked at the scans yet.  Argghh.  Then finally this past Monday I got the call.  The first thing that goes through my mind is my grandmother.  She died from it back when I was a kid about Katie’s age.  Back then they didn’t have all the technology or research we do now.  But it still floored me. 

I spoke with family members and the Dr and everyone told me the same thing basically.  “You can’t tell her right away, it will through her backwards.”  So when I told Troy, we agreed to wait.  But how long?  Its now Sunday and her consultation is tomorrow morning with a surgeon.  I’m going down there this afternoon so he and I can tell her.  I have no idea how she is going to take this as its something she has always feared.  Always obsessed about.  I’m shaking as I create this post.  I literally feel sick at my stomach with nerves.  I’m scared and all week long I’ve felt like I could throw up.  Over and over.  I will do an update.  Thank you all for supporting me through these years. 

PLEASE. If you have read this, please please do NOT tell her until we do. No phone calls until we tell her, PLEASE?

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