Rollercoaster!

Pennymac02

Well, last week was full of the wonderfulness of cancer. A trip to the ER,my car got towed while at the hospital, a one day hospital stay, my neighbors tree fell on my porch during a storm, an advanced liver MRI, dinner out for both of us Saturday night : ) , and then a complete decompensation on Sunday, Mike was not able to get out of bed for more than an hour at a time. The VA scheduler called and has scheduled his second embolization for the 14th of October. No telling when we'll get the official word on the MRI, but the fact that the have scheduled the next procedure in less than two weeks is pretty telling.

I got some things done around the house over the weekend (Picking up branches from that stupid tree, for one)and actually feel pretty positive this morning. I'm praying and meditating a lot, and recognizing that I can only do the possible part, its God's job to do the impossible stuff. Does this mean I'm adjusting to the New Normal of that my meds are working? LOL

Noellesmom

I vote both!
Rollercoaster was an apt description! Bless your heart!

3Mana

Bad luck
Penny,
Wow, you sure have been having some bad luck! Sometimes life isn't fair and makes you wonder why the heck some of us have to deal with so much.
Don't want to sound stupid, but what is an embolization?? Hope everything goes okay on that and that the MRI is good.
I can relate to your having to pick up branches from that stupid tree. I had a black locust tree that my husband wanted cut down 2 years ago, and it was such a messy tree. Well I had it cut down in August & am so glad I don't have to deal with it anymore. Still have a stupid thornapple tree that is a pain, but guess I"ll deal with that for awhile. It is ridiculous what they charge for cutting down a tree. But maybe you should think about that.
I think your meds are working, girl!!! "Carole"

nyogus1

God owns the impossible stuff!
Love the distinction between "possible" and "impossible" stuff. Thanks for perking me up today. I need to leave more to God, and maybe even let him know he needs to step it up some.

Gosh, misery does love company! Meaning I'm often in misery, and for some reason it makes me feel NOT so alone to hear about other folks struggles and how they cope. Frankly, the advice offered here is better (in many ways) than what the counsellor I was seeing had to offer.

Nancy

zinniemay

nyogus1 said:

God owns the impossible stuff!
Love the distinction between "possible" and "impossible" stuff. Thanks for perking me up today. I need to leave more to God, and maybe even let him know he needs to step it up some.

Gosh, misery does love company! Meaning I'm often in misery, and for some reason it makes me feel NOT so alone to hear about other folks struggles and how they cope. Frankly, the advice offered here is better (in many ways) than what the counsellor I was seeing had to offer.

Nancy

love you guys
I think we all have a new normal and it brings ups and downs. I though about your tree falling on your porch how sad. Then I think you are so positive about it .
I planted Marigolds this year . pretty Little ones so the package said. They came up and I though they needed to be thinned out. While thinning them ,a ideal popped into my head why not take the ones I was thinning out and plant them along our fence , Up by the house , Around my flower bed oh and by the tree stump (we had to remove last year). So I did my pretty LITTLE Marigolds I could not wait to see them bloom . One day I looked and I remember thinking boy these are getting big. Well next thing I know I have Gaint Marigolds all over the place. Pretty flower but a stinky plant. I even checked to make sure I had bough the right ones and I did the package was marked wrong.
So today My husband and I ripped out the LITTLE Marigolds , took three loads of them out and dumped them in the field. I did not look at all the other places I had planted them but let me tell ya! I still have many many little Marigolds all around.
Laugh, but I saved some seeds!

Jennie

grandmafay

The Gift
Cancer truly is the gift that keeps on giving. One of my friends battled breast cancer in 1984 and had implants in 1985. Now one implant has ruptured. She is having surgery for that this month. They also found a small cancer on her ear that will be removed at the same time. Fay

Pennymac02

3Mana said:

Bad luck
Penny,
Wow, you sure have been having some bad luck! Sometimes life isn't fair and makes you wonder why the heck some of us have to deal with so much.
Don't want to sound stupid, but what is an embolization?? Hope everything goes okay on that and that the MRI is good.
I can relate to your having to pick up branches from that stupid tree. I had a black locust tree that my husband wanted cut down 2 years ago, and it was such a messy tree. Well I had it cut down in August & am so glad I don't have to deal with it anymore. Still have a stupid thornapple tree that is a pain, but guess I"ll deal with that for awhile. It is ridiculous what they charge for cutting down a tree. But maybe you should think about that.
I think your meds are working, girl!!! "Carole"

Embolization
Carole,
Embolization is medical speak for cutting off the tumors blood supply. My husbands liver cancer is inoperable, so they are trying to shrink/kill the tumor that way. They can use chemo while they are tying off the blood vessels, and leave little seeds of Chemo behind, or do whats called a bland embolization, without any radiation or chemo. My husband has the bland embolization. His liver function is too compromised from having Hep C, and the chemo would probably shut down what's left of his liver. The treatment doesn't cure anything, it slows the cancer's growth so he can wait if he has to, for a liver transplant. Getting a liver transplant is the only way his cancer is survivable.
Penny

Tina Blondek

Pennymac02 said:

Embolization
Carole,
Embolization is medical speak for cutting off the tumors blood supply. My husbands liver cancer is inoperable, so they are trying to shrink/kill the tumor that way. They can use chemo while they are tying off the blood vessels, and leave little seeds of Chemo behind, or do whats called a bland embolization, without any radiation or chemo. My husband has the bland embolization. His liver function is too compromised from having Hep C, and the chemo would probably shut down what's left of his liver. The treatment doesn't cure anything, it slows the cancer's growth so he can wait if he has to, for a liver transplant. Getting a liver transplant is the only way his cancer is survivable.
Penny

Many Thoughts and Prayers
Hello Penny
Thank you for your recent update. Sorry things had been going so bad for you. They say it comes in 3's, so you should be ok for awhile now. My dad had mets to his liver from esophageal cancer. I have to give your husband a lot of credit for being able to withstand all that he is going through. I know my dad could not have done this. I admire your husband for being able to do this procedure. I will be praying that he will be able to get a liver transplant. Is he on a waiting list now? God bless you both and may he give you peace at this time. Keep in touch. And Penny, I am sure your new meds are doing their job!
Tina

kimmygarland

grandmafay said:

The Gift
Cancer truly is the gift that keeps on giving. One of my friends battled breast cancer in 1984 and had implants in 1985. Now one implant has ruptured. She is having surgery for that this month. They also found a small cancer on her ear that will be removed at the same time. Fay

The Gift that Keeps on Giving
Fay - so sorry to hear about your friend.

Penny - hope it gets easier soon. Hang in there and keep up with both the prayers AND the meds! I'm so glad I got the meds when I did, not sure I would have gotten this far without them. I think I would have just gone screaming into the night and never been heard from again, LOL.

It's almost Friday and then hopefully we can all relax a bit over the weekend.