Saturday, April 05, 2008

Update on the Things Troubling Me.

I went into full Friday freakout and slammed the brakes on my wife's surgery, which was scheduled for Monday. Late in the day, alarmigly late, I decided we had not explored enough options for treating what ails her. I descended upon some physicians I know for a casual second opinion and the "drive by consult" convinced me we had made hasty decisions.
I called The Wife and told her she needed to talk to some more people before she decides once and for all to subject herself to surgery on her face. Fortunately, the surgeon involved is a terrific guy and a friend of ours and he took this whole thing in stride. He agreed that we should explore all non-surgical options and expressed a willingness to perform the operation later, if we decide once and for all to go through with it.
The Wife is one of those "get this behind me" people, so the newfound uncertainty and the unanticipated waiting are causing her additional stress. Still, she is initiating a new fact-finding process. My hope is that whatever decision is ultimately made, we can be comfortable knowing we made it deliberately.
While all of this was swirling around, I was ducking in and out of the Cancer Center while my father was having a PET scan. The doctors are hoping to have a determination that the spot on his lung is probably NOT cancer, but probably it is.
If the news is negative, then we have to discuss treatment options, something I've been through more than once. I unfortunately have a lot of experience with this, but I have yet to get comfortable with it.
All of this seems to have put my newly-widowed mother-in-law's troubles on the back burner for me. Besides, she's gamely soldiering on. She is enduring a string of unpleasant tasks, like deciding what to do with many of her late husband's belongings and then following through with the plan. The big emotional event will take place next weekend when my wife and her mother go to Austin to close down their house there.
My knuckles are getting white from hanging on, but my grip is still firm.

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4 comments:

Crazy In Shreveport said...

I feel your "medical" pain.

Seth said...

Keep hanging in there, man...hope all gets better soon. We'll be sending up prayers from Indy.

If it's any consolation, it doesn't look like your eyelid has been drooping as much in your more recent pictures.

:-)

Darrell said...

Well, there is that. Thanks, Seth.

Anonymous said...

I keep up with the blog. Please don't forget that in and through all of this--many people are offering up prayers for you and your family...I am one of them. Barbara