Saturday, December 15, 2007

Taking a Deep Breath Here

It has been a hard week in the ovca worldview. One friend from my forum board has suffered this beast for six years, has lived bravely through hospice for the past seven months and once Thanksgiving arrived began to hope to see Christmas as well for one more year. Recently her health has deteriorated quickly and this week she has been taken by ambulance with unmanageable pain. She had maxed out the pain meds that could be given to her at the facility where she was housed.

Another woman also on this forum, who was diagnosed in 2004, has been told there is nothing more they can do but provide palliative care. Her tumors have invaded her entire abdomen and associated organs.

Over this year the ovca population has lost several great women whom I have come to know and love for their encouragement, strength and wisdom.

In comparison, my previous oncologist had prescribed palliative care only for me last December. By God's grace I am now under the care of a proactive oncologist who has an open mind and a bold approach. I have lived strong with a reasonably good quality of life this past year. Think of what has been accomplished besides caring for my home and family. We moved into a home that required a huge amount of work for months.  The packing and unpacking and settling in has gone on indefinitely but is being accomplished along with activities, school and life in general. I can really not complain. I have gained a full year, but the above developments of this past year presses the eventuality of this diagnosis upon my heart and mind. The truth truly is that only God knows our days. Each day becomes a gift of opportunity.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank God you have a husband and children who love you so much and care for you. Not everyone has that to support them and carry them through difficult times like these. I hope your Christmas is one full of blessings and treasures. Smiles

Anonymous said...

I am in the same boat and have to smile at the movies that show people with a bad dx going out and skydiving, taking long trips and living it up.  Also laugh at people who say what they would do if they only had 6 months.  Well, it is not so.  We just go along living our lives as we always did...just a little slower...lol.

Got the 2 Gkids from school last night so we could make Christmas cookies.  Well, guess who ended up making most of them while they went to play in the back yard (trying to prove to me they had an imagination) and stepped in dog poop!!!!  Did all this after taking my friend to the dr to get her cast replaced and pushing her in a wheelchair.  This is a day in my terminal life and I love it.

Hang in there sweetie and enjoy every minute.