Terry had radiation to her brain and for the first time to her shoulder. That all went okay except for the pain she endured by laying flat for 30 minutes. From now on it will be Vicodan to the rescue whenever she is scheduled for radiation longer than 10-15 minutes.
The final insult of 2011 came when the Radiation Oncologist was worried about a few symptoms Terry was showing. To be safe he sent her to the Emergency Room to have some tests run. He was afraid she might need a transfusion or admission to the hospital. She spent a total of 1 hour at radiation and 3 hours at the ER. The good news is that her tests were all normal and she was sent home. She was beat after the long day.
A friend of ours, Doug Morrow, sent us an adage yesterday, "Don't ask God for anything until you have thanked Him for 20 things." Terry and I have been married for over 17,000 days. Dear Lord thank you for each and every one of those days. I only ask for one thing. That Terry is pain free and has a much better life in 2012 than she has had for the past 3 years with multiple myeloma. Please God, please.
12/31/11
12/30/11
GOOD NEWS TODAY
Today started with some good news from Karen and Nissa-they are extending their stay in Michigan to help Terry and me. They are terrific and have helped beyond belief.
Then we went to the Radiation Oncologist and he told us that the main tumor in Terry's brain is gone. Two smaller tumors on the brian have diminished as have the tumors on her palate and in her sinus cavity. Thank you Lord!
This evening a hospital bed has been delivered with a hydraulic lift. That is going to make life a lot easier for Terry as she is completely bed ridden now.
It has been a miraculous day. I believe that the thousands of prayers being said for Terry are being answered. Strength in numbers.
God bless you all.
Then we went to the Radiation Oncologist and he told us that the main tumor in Terry's brain is gone. Two smaller tumors on the brian have diminished as have the tumors on her palate and in her sinus cavity. Thank you Lord!
This evening a hospital bed has been delivered with a hydraulic lift. That is going to make life a lot easier for Terry as she is completely bed ridden now.
It has been a miraculous day. I believe that the thousands of prayers being said for Terry are being answered. Strength in numbers.
God bless you all.
12/29/11
TERRY IS HOME
"Free at last, thank God we are free at last". We broke out of ECMC (the hospital in Buffalo). After what seemed like an interminable delay we escaped via an air ambulance and successfully made it back home. Greeting Terry were Karen, Jim, Nissa and of course Lacey(cat). Nissa had made a huge pot of chicken noodle soup and it hit the spot for these wayward travelers. Later in the evening a delicious Polish dinner was shared, including some home made, mouth-watering pierogies from Terry's sister Helen. Funny how Terry had no complaints about the food.
Now the fun begins. We have a ton of logistics and healing to get done. Come hook or by crook, Terry will start her much needed radiation therapy again on Thursday. A home care agency will be visiting and setting up PT and OT on Thursday and a neighbor is building a wheelchair ramp. We are looking forward to Terry getting treatment and getting better. Maybe we are on the right track now. I'll be glad when 2011 is done.
Now the fun begins. We have a ton of logistics and healing to get done. Come hook or by crook, Terry will start her much needed radiation therapy again on Thursday. A home care agency will be visiting and setting up PT and OT on Thursday and a neighbor is building a wheelchair ramp. We are looking forward to Terry getting treatment and getting better. Maybe we are on the right track now. I'll be glad when 2011 is done.
12/27/11
DAY 3 POST-OP A DAY OF INFAMY
The day started out pretty good. Terry slept well and things seemed to be progressing for a smooth transition to the Rehab unit on Wednesday. Terry even got up and took 3 steps, although she was still pretty worn out from all of the excitement on Monday. I won't go into the food as all 3 meals were the usual dregs, sop and gruel.
At 5 PM the day started to crash. I received a call from the Rehab unit that they would not be accepting Terry as a patient. It appears that under Medicare SOPs, if she was admitted then the Home would receive a fixed reimbursement. In turn the Rehab unit would be liable for all medical costs that Terry carries. That means they would have to pay for Terry's radiation treatment which is more expensive than the entire Rehab stay. They would lose a lot of money by admitting her. I was told that she could not be admitted to any Rehab unit. Also, because of Medicare rules she cannot be admitted to a hospital. To be admitted to a hospital requires that she is able to do 30 minutes of continuous PT a day. I was thrilled when she took 3 steps today. 30 minutes is out of the question.
I spoke with her oncologist and she has to have the radiation as that is the only thing working against her cancer at this time.
Hopefully tomorrow will bring some sort of solution. Tonight I will pray to God for guidance, but I might yell at Him in frustration.
At 5 PM the day started to crash. I received a call from the Rehab unit that they would not be accepting Terry as a patient. It appears that under Medicare SOPs, if she was admitted then the Home would receive a fixed reimbursement. In turn the Rehab unit would be liable for all medical costs that Terry carries. That means they would have to pay for Terry's radiation treatment which is more expensive than the entire Rehab stay. They would lose a lot of money by admitting her. I was told that she could not be admitted to any Rehab unit. Also, because of Medicare rules she cannot be admitted to a hospital. To be admitted to a hospital requires that she is able to do 30 minutes of continuous PT a day. I was thrilled when she took 3 steps today. 30 minutes is out of the question.
I spoke with her oncologist and she has to have the radiation as that is the only thing working against her cancer at this time.
Hopefully tomorrow will bring some sort of solution. Tonight I will pray to God for guidance, but I might yell at Him in frustration.
12/26/11
DAY 2 POST-OP
Today was a day of surprises and good news. Terry received 2 units of blood last night and her hemoglobin came up a bit but she has to receive two more units tonight. Evidently she lost a fair amount of blood during surgery. Those orthopedic surgeons are not known for their finesse.
At 10 AM the physical and occupational therapists came by and got Terry up and into a chair. She stood on her recently operated leg and bore weight. At 1 PM a wonderful surprise, Terry's sister Helen and her husband Bill drove in from Rome, NY to see Terry and they brought Terry's Mom. The tears of happiness were flowing. Terry's Mom is in a wheelchair and Terry being chair-bound made it difficult for them to hug and kiss-but they did it. An hour later Karen and Nissa arrived totally unexpected as they drove in from Nashville. More tears-more happiness.
Later I received a call from a Rehab facility in Livonia that they will take Terry for admission and she will probably be there a month or so before she can come home. Tomorrow we will find out when we can schedule an air ambulance and when we can get her out of Buffalo.
The only bad news of the day, is that the food is still insufferable. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.
At 10 AM the physical and occupational therapists came by and got Terry up and into a chair. She stood on her recently operated leg and bore weight. At 1 PM a wonderful surprise, Terry's sister Helen and her husband Bill drove in from Rome, NY to see Terry and they brought Terry's Mom. The tears of happiness were flowing. Terry's Mom is in a wheelchair and Terry being chair-bound made it difficult for them to hug and kiss-but they did it. An hour later Karen and Nissa arrived totally unexpected as they drove in from Nashville. More tears-more happiness.
Later I received a call from a Rehab facility in Livonia that they will take Terry for admission and she will probably be there a month or so before she can come home. Tomorrow we will find out when we can schedule an air ambulance and when we can get her out of Buffalo.
The only bad news of the day, is that the food is still insufferable. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.
DAY 1 POST-OP
I think I prayed for the wrong thing. I ask God to give Terry a break. I didn't think He would be so literal.
FYI, Terry is doing as well as can be expected after her surgery. She is almost pain free and she spent most of Christmas day sleeping. Her diet has gone from clear liquids to a regular one, although the food in this hospital could be the poster child for bad institutional cooking. They served her goulash and carrots for dinner, after two fork-fulls she opted for the safety net of jell-o and pudding. Her vitals and lab work were all normal with one exception. Her hemoglobin was too low due to blood loss during surgery. She is scheduled for a transfusion. I hope it doesn't have to go from the blood bank via the kitchen before she gets it.
Monday the hospital will get back to normal, she is to have a physical therapy evaluation. I hope to speak to the discharge planner and a social worker and then get her transferred to a Michigan re-hab unit. The physician in charge of her case said that Terry will need to be an inpatient for a few weeks of physical therapy rehab. My prayer today is to get that all co-ordinated so I can get her to Michigan asap.
I hope that your CHRISTmas day was wonderful.
FYI, Terry is doing as well as can be expected after her surgery. She is almost pain free and she spent most of Christmas day sleeping. Her diet has gone from clear liquids to a regular one, although the food in this hospital could be the poster child for bad institutional cooking. They served her goulash and carrots for dinner, after two fork-fulls she opted for the safety net of jell-o and pudding. Her vitals and lab work were all normal with one exception. Her hemoglobin was too low due to blood loss during surgery. She is scheduled for a transfusion. I hope it doesn't have to go from the blood bank via the kitchen before she gets it.
Monday the hospital will get back to normal, she is to have a physical therapy evaluation. I hope to speak to the discharge planner and a social worker and then get her transferred to a Michigan re-hab unit. The physician in charge of her case said that Terry will need to be an inpatient for a few weeks of physical therapy rehab. My prayer today is to get that all co-ordinated so I can get her to Michigan asap.
I hope that your CHRISTmas day was wonderful.
12/24/11
IF IT WEREN'T FOR BAD LUCK TERRY WOULD HAVE NO LUCK AT ALL
Bad luck has struck again and it is in the form of her multiple myeloma. On Friday evening she was trying to get down a few stairs with the help of two people. Her left leg collapsed and she has a pathological fracture of her femur. That means the damned myeloma weakened her bone structure enough that it just couldn't take the stress of walking and it fractured.
It is now Saturday afternoon and she is lying in bed, recently post-op with a metal rod in her femur. We don't know anything more than the operation was a success from the orthopedist's viewpoint. By the way we are in Buffalo after spending a wonderful evening with friends. This situation means another CHRISTmas in a hospital for Terry, Jim and I are staying at a local motel and any and all plans are kaput. The hell with plans Lord, just give Terry a chance.
It is now Saturday afternoon and she is lying in bed, recently post-op with a metal rod in her femur. We don't know anything more than the operation was a success from the orthopedist's viewpoint. By the way we are in Buffalo after spending a wonderful evening with friends. This situation means another CHRISTmas in a hospital for Terry, Jim and I are staying at a local motel and any and all plans are kaput. The hell with plans Lord, just give Terry a chance.
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