Updates

Leaving on a Jet Plane

The last few months have been a whirl wind of events. After spending Thanksgiving in Detroit, I arrived home for a very short period. Soon I found myself back in the air, on my way to MD Anderson for a complete check-up and to have cataract surgery in my left eye. My right was done over 2 years ago, just after my cancer surgery. I’ve never been happy with the result, so I’ve put this off. I figured it’s time to just do it and get it over with.

With anxiety running high, I always find myself stressed when it comes to these regular check-ups. My mind twirls. Has my cancer returned? What will I do if it does? Should I begin to mentally prepare for more surgery? Maybe the cancer has traveled. Take a Xanax...ahhh all better!

After all my tests (CT, X-rays, and blood work) all was looking well. I was just too tired to report in at the time. My white cell counts are normalizing, but my red counts are still low. My eye surgery was scheduled for the next morning and I had already been seen by the anesthesiologist.

It was now time to see my dear friend and surgeon, Dr. Stella Kim. The staff ran me through a battery of eye tests. Then we did the same ones all over again. I assumed they were just being thorough. After a few hours of this, Dr. Kim entered with her sweet demeanor and said, “Sweetie, I have some not so good news. I am unable to perform your eye surgery. Going by your results, insurance won’t pay for it.”

OK, now I’m puzzled. What is the problem? It seems that my vision in my left eye, which was 20/80 in 2007, is now 20/30. After two years of recovery my vision no longer qualifies for cataract surgery to be paid by insurance. A script for glasses is plan of action. But, I have to ask…Is this normal? I guess it’s a good thing, but sounds odd to me. Can your eyesight actually get that much better with time??

With my trip to Houston cut short and Christmas only a few weeks away, I thought I would continue the road trip and travel on to visit my mom for the holidays. She was again in a rehab facility, but I was told I could break her out for Christmas! Poor mom has spent her last 3 Christmases and birthdays in rehab or hospital.

With the Rain Comes a Storm

Upon my arrival, mom had the flu and I was not allowed to take her home and Christmas was once again a bust for mom. She lost all her momentum and was basically back to square one on her rehab progress due to the set back, a month of rehab down the drain.

I’m also beginning to suspect that this rehab facility, which once worked miracles on mom, was beginning to lose its effectiveness. There has been a major turnover in staff and I have to admit I’m not happy with what I am witnessing. The place has gone down hill. Mom spent all of last month trying to recover. A bit brokenhearted, I returned home to wait for her release.

I’m exhausted, I know I’m pushing myself too much and I’m trying not to give into the fact that my body is drained, coupled with pain in my jaw causing me trouble. For this reason I have not been very active on my blog. I have been preparing for mom’s release and when I catch you all up, you’re going to be surprised at the outcome. When I find more energy I will fill you all in on "The Circle of Life.”

Thank you for all for your emails and phone calls with your concerns.

Peace B