The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Thank you, Darla, for the story about your husband at the graduation party. I do not doubt for a moment that the boy had some feeling about your husband.

My little grandsons help a lot to get me through things….and esp the 6 year old, who is very bonded with me and vice versa. (He has said several time, “Grammy, you know ou are my favorite.” Fortunately, he is a very huggy type kid…..and always comes immediately to me for some cuddle time during visits before he starts playing. And…he hates to leave….it makes him sad, he says, because he misses us so much. In his perfect world, I think his parents, he and his brother, and both sets of grandparents woud all live in the same house. )))))).

Furniture shopping tomorrow….some retail therapy! I may not buy anything….but it will be fun looking.

Julie

Catherine…..thank you…..I am trying very hard to focus on living and grandkids….but of course, it’s hard not to have that little wince once in a while. Tonight, my 6 year old grandson said, “Grammy, I will love you foreer.” I told him that I’d love HIM for ever and a day. Not too long ago, he suddenly said he was sad…and when I asked him why, he said he realized that when he is grown up, I will be dead. It was all I could do to hold myself together. I told him I hoped that was a very long time. He knows that grammy goes to the doctor quite often, but he has never been told the seriousness of my illness. We are very, very close….and it’s so hard.

Marion,

I have found that “lung nodules” have caused a lot of wringing of hands among the doctors, but esp if there is a recurrence elsewhere. Then, they seem to get overly anxious about the nodules.

YES< YES< YES....please....I would be very interested to share the bone met treatment together. The NA I talked with at Mayo seemed to indicate one zap of radiation on this thing since it is so very small....IF it tuens out to look more like a met than arthritis. How large is the area in question on your bone? I also forgot which bone you said it was on/in. (Will have to go back and read that). I would imagine that the larger it is, the more sessions. But, I've heard of remarkable success with the bone mets.....and lasting problems rarely occur. Something you might find interesting….was that the Mayo NP discussed my scan findings with one of the staff oncologists (mine was not in that day) and the idea of doing a PET scan was discussed. However, the oncologist decided that with the MDS….which is basically one kind of cancer of the bone marrow (that can transition into AML…a leukemia) ….all of my bones would probably light up llike a Christmas tree….including my spine. LOL. So, it would basically be useless. I’m glad they thought of that before ordering one. LOL. Good catch. They were trying to figure out how to decide if it might be a met other than waiting and watching because it was too small right now for a biopsy. It hink it would have to grow a LOT to be able to biopsy it. As I remember from a lung nodule that my husband had once…..his was 1 cm and as such, barely big enough to get…..which the Dr was finally able to do after numerous pokes at it…..but in the process they collapsed his lung. It’s always better to have a decent target to hit. Question?…..did they bioopsy this bone met you have….or do a PET? Thank you for reminding me…..about not thinking too much until the “clear answers are presented”. I’m going to try very hard to keep busy (as much as my toosh will allow…as for the next 5-7 days it is going to feel like I got kicked in the rear by a cow). Of course, you know that includes time with my little grandboys…..and having just come back from the 3 day trip at Mayo, there’s a lot to put away…throw away….all the excess papers, etc. And….on Saturday, I’m hoping to get my husband to take me to a furniture store a couple hours away. . When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping. )))). Retail therapy. We may not buy anything…but it will be fun (at least for ME)…..husband maybe not so much. LOL.

Love you,
Julie