I should have posted to the blog two Tuesdays ago when it was the day Dorene had her final radiation treatment and life was feeling a bit bright and shiny and Dorene was happy to have that over with and looking forward to feeling better. When Dorene was going to have an entire month free of doctor appointments and only have the relaxing Reiki treatments... but I didn't share that happiness with you all at the time it was happening and I apologize for that.
After the final radiation treatment Dorene was continuing to feel crappy because the radiation does this soaking in and accumulation thing so the happy day of no more radiation was tempered by the increasing discomfort from the itchy, burning and painful skin they'd radiated; and the pain she's been feeling in her chest and chest bones and lungs was continuing to increase until finally last Friday (the 2nd of April) while at work and while being in so much pain she had to take a pain pill... Dorene worked her full day and then drove herself to the hospital because she was afraid the staph infection was back or, believe it or not, hoped she had walking pneumonia because the alternative to the pain was not going to be good news.
The E.R. doctor took x-rays and a CT scan of her chest and found "nodules" which they couldn't identify as to what they were. This was very shocking to Dorene because before this her lungs had been clear. E.R. prescribed antibiotics in case it was pneumonia and sent the scans to her Oncologist so they could go over them on Monday which they did yesterday. The oncologist wasn't available but her nurse practitioner was and she thought the nodules were a lung infection called Neumosis (sp?) and prescribed Dorene a very strong dose of steroids. If it is neumosis then Dorene will feel relief within 24 to 48 hours... she has an appointment with the Oncologist on Friday to see if she's had any relief and if not to look further into what is going on.
In the meantime Dorene has talked with her employers and said that she doesn't think she can keep up her current schedule. She explained to them that at the same time she doesn't want to lose the job she loves and needs she also doesn't want to burden them by not being able to work as much. In other words, she told them she would understand if they couldn't accommodate her needing to work less days and if they would need to replace her. For the time being it looks like they still want to work with her on this and make her schedule easier. If it is neumosis and Dorene feels some relief after the steroids do their thing she may start by taking one day off every other week. This would put her on a schedule of two days one week and three the next. We have to remember that she works 10 hour days and has to be up by 5:30am to get to work to open the Veterinarian office by 7:00am so it is still a pretty intense schedule... but she is hoping she can maintain that schedule. If not, she'll look at only working two days a week.
Dorene did take a few days off this week to rest. She worked part of the day yesterday and then went to the Oncologists and she doesn't work again until Saturday. She'll probably make a decision on how much to cut back on work after her doctor’s appointment on Friday.
It is very difficult for Dorene to let go of these hours, not because of how much they need the income, but because it makes her feel like the cancer is winning and continuing to take away all the things she enjoys. But we've talked about how the priority has to be her ability to give her body the rest and healing ability it needs and to not tax it too much. It is a strange tight rope because on the one hand the work is good for her soul and gives her a lot of joy but it is very physically demanding for her to keep up this work schedule and she is realizing that in giving it up, or some of it at least, she is giving her body what it needs right now which is rest to heal and fight the cancer.
I should know more after Friday and will post again then.
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