April 25: Foot & Martha update, rescheduling

So glad to know that Deneen is still reading this and OK--I was starting to get worried about you, Deneen! There are so few comments left, although I know there are a few people who read this but just don't leave a comment. More people leaving evidence of their visits would be nice--hint, hint!

The foot is doing a little better. Staying home for that week and resting it was definitely the right thing to do, and I got a lot of paperwork done as well as finally getting some stuff started in the writing department, although it's up for debate where that ends up going. Friday and yesterday I did a lot of stuff around the house, went back and forth to the garage three times yesterday, which is the first time since I broke it. Up and down the stairs to the basement--gingerly--a few times as well. So it hurts some now. It's nine weeks today, and it's a little discouraging that it's still so painful so often. Still wearing the boot, and I notice a difference if I try to walk on it without that support, even just a little around the house. Several people have said that their experience with foot injuries is similar, they just take so long to get better. But it does cross my mind that maybe there is more going on than is obvious because, let's face it, it is me we are talking about. It's still clearly swollen, which strikes me as strange after all this time and makes me wonder about more tendon and ligament damage. Appointment with ortho is next Tuesday.

My INR has been within range now, waiting for the results of Friday's draw.

Last weekend I went to NY to see John, Martha, Lyle & Emma. They are all in different phases of shock, which is to be expected. I'm actually waiting to hear from John right now about the bronchoscopy that she had done yesterday at Sloan-Kettering. The surgeon that they found seems perfect (although that's the purpose of those staff biographies!), and has special interest in doing surgeries the least invasive way possible, which works particularly well since my thoracotomy was the one Martha was there witnessing for several days. He's also interested in non-smokers with cancer, which also applies. His other good points are doing procedures on Saturdays and actually LIKING to get phone calls from his patients with questions. There are two other results back: the PET scan, which looks for increased activity indicating spread of the cancer and the brain MRI, because this type of cancer likes to metastasize (spread) there. The excellent news is that both tests were negative, and I was impressed at how quickly they got back to them with the results. The results of the washings from the lungs taken today will take another day or two to come back, and then she has her first appointment with the oncologist, again at Sloan-Kettering, on Wednesday. Expecting chemo, possible radiation, before any surgery, but we'll see what the expert says.

While the first of the two weeks scheduled off had to be taken as vacation, the schedule worked out so that I could work my usual days last week, so they didn't have to wasted. Now, of course, we are back to normal. This sudden hot weather is an unpleasant surprise for me, because my breathing is always worse when it's hot. No humidity was nice, however. I called my lawn guy and he is coming over Tuesday to take out storm windows, put in screens and air conditioners.

Many people have wanted to know about rescheduleing the trip. Susan and her kids are coming to the US this summer, we'll be together in New Hampshire at the camp I've referred to frequently. So it doesn't make sense to go over in the summer when we'll already be seeing each other. Then we get into the school year, Christmas time is hectic for everyone, so the next time frame that is good for her is next spring/Easter break. As you regular readers are aware, this trip was more than a vacation. It was trying to resume an activity that I enjoy immensely, that my illness prevented. In the battle for my life over the last five years, the concentration has been staying alive. The 'living' part hasn't been a lot of fun. This was my first real attempt to experience the fun part of having fought to stay alive. So, despite the family vacation in July, I really don't want to wait another full year. My current plan is to go to just England in October, maybe for a little longer than a week depending on how the schedule works out. That way I'd have England to look forward to and plan for in the next six months, then Italy would be about six months or so after that. So that's my thoughts, although I'm going to wait to be sure that the foot is, in fact, improving and isn't going to need something wretched done to it.

-----Just got a phone call from Martha, sounding a little scratchy. They did a bronchoscopy and also minor surgery on her mediastinal area (breastbone) to get samples of the lymph nodes. While they won't know the actual cell pathology until the appointment on Wednesday, the surgeon was very pleased with how things looked--very clean. She got a higher staging number because of the size of the tumor, but so far there doesn't appear to be spread anywhere. So the next news will be after Wednesday's appointment.

I'm going to do a separate cover for the philosophical part, just to keep referencing easier.

Thanks for checking, Laurie