Karen, I don’t know if you know that my Gary was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2004. After surgery and radiation, he lived 10 more years and died of other causes.  Stay on top of your health and with your doctor's help you will do fine.  I have had a couple of cancer scares myself.  A year ago I was diagnosed with kidney cancer and was surgically cured with the removal of the kidney.  Cathy came from AZ to help me afterward and I was so grateful.

I missed the retreat this year because I became very sick in January.  I was admitted to the hospital with an extremely high calcium level (hypercalcemia).  I was in the hospital for two weeks and then in rehab for another two weeks while having infusions to keep my calcium levels in check.  They were convinced I had another cancer but couldn’t find it.  I had every test under the sun.  In March I had a PET scan and one of my lymph glands in the groin area lit up.  It turned out it was B Cell Lymphoma.  The lymph gland was removed in April and my calcium levels have been good ever since.  The pathology report indicated the cancer was not from the kidney but an entirely new cancer.  Cathy says that is good because it shows that the kidney surgery was successful and hadn’t spread.  I saw my cancer doctor today and will be going in once a month for a while for a blood test.  Life is good.

Carolyn

Carolyn you have been thru so much this past year. Will be praying for you for healing. You were very much missed at the retreat.

Ami_Quilts (sewingupasto) said...

so glad to read that the pathology on David came back Benin.

Thanks so much Ami!  Sounds like things are pretty exciting for you and DH too!  I'm delighted for you!!

Thanks Viola!  We don't expect the house to be done until the new year 2024.  

Just watched this thing about Machelle Hobson, of Arizona, who was fostering 7 children and exploiting/abusing them. Sounds to me like DCS hasn't gotten any better than when I was a kid...call to warn the parents you're coming so there is time for the kids to clean the house, themselves, and change to clean clothes, give them the benefit of the doubt, etc. Question children in front of family members so we know we'd get huge punishments if the truth were found. Why can't they learn?!

Have you ladies heard about it?

Wow Carolyn. You have had quite the time....do they think that lymph node was responsible for the hypercalcemia?

Hope you feel better and better.

Suze (casuzenn) said:

do they think that lymph node was responsible for the hypercalcemia?

It absolutely was.  Before, every time they stopped the infusions (to lower the calcium levels) it would come right back up again.  It has been two months since my surgery and everything is in the normal range.  Right now I am cancer free.  For a while, I will be having monthly blood tests to make sure everything is good.  Of course, periodically I will have scans too.

Carolyn

How awful.  I had not heard of this but I was not living in AZ  24 years ago.  Hopefully, lessons were learned and things have changed for the better.

Well, it came out in 2017, so 6 years ago. Sure hope they're learning from their mistakes!

Oops, you are right.   These old eyes misread the date on the article.  

Carolyn