I got used to my new power chair. As I said, it wasn't exactly what I wanted. The center wheel drive thing was hard to get used to. I had previously had rear wheel driven chairs.
But over time I got used to it. I went through a lot in the next several years.
In the beginning of 2009 I had my third incidence of breast cancer. During that time I was seeing an oncologist. But apparently he mistook the lump under my arm for infection, or something.
When I found out there was a lump, I stopped seeing him. I found a surgeon close to me and had as many cancerous lymph nodes removed as I could.
Then, I had six months of chemotherapy. Luckily, it was in a town close to my nursing home.
I made every chemo trip an adventure. Afterwards a friend took me out. We went shopping and had lunch. That way I had no time to be nauseous from getting those poisonous cancer drugs.
Chemo ended at the end of 2009.
Trying to get radiation in 2010 was difficult. I went to two different radiation oncologists at two different medical facilities. Neither one of them wanted to treat a quadriplegic female experiencing breast cancer for the third time.
But, with inquiries, I discovered I could go to a major university hospital and get the treatment I needed.
Unfortunately, I had to travel there five days a week leaving the nursing home at 7:30 a.m. I rode in the back of an ambulance which is not my preferred method of travel. But even though it's not what I wanted to do, I was able to listen to music on my way there which was a plus. I even helped the ambulance drivers better find where they were going – since I knew the area.
After 31 radiation therapy treatments I had severe radiation burns on my side, under my left arm. It was quite painful. But I recovered quickly. It always seemed like there was relief when chemo and radiation were done. But I always wondered what would happen afterwards.
I asked my oncologist about further treatment. At first he did not recommend it. Then he suggested Fasoldex Injections. It started out getting those in July 2010. I got a 250 mg shot in my arm. I knew they were supposed to be given in your hip. But since I use a power wheelchair, I guess they thought that would be too difficult.
I went for the shot every 28 days.
In mid-August I received an involuntary discharge letter from the nursing home where I had lived for 14 1/2 years. I was stunned. I knew I had to find another nursing home.
I had a rough time with the chemo and radiation because it wore me out. I was also in full-blown cancer treatment mode. I had warned the nursing home management that it might be difficult caring for me when I was battling cancer. The only other time I did it was when I lived on my own in the community with private caregivers. But, I lived by myself, and could somewhat control my environment. That was difficult to do in a nursing home. I was moody. I took a different stronger antidepressant to try to help with that. But, I don't know that it worked that well.
Even so during radiation it would not have worked as well anyway. Radiation takes its toll on everything including the way medication works in your body.
I had to move about 80 miles away from where I had lived for most of my life. I was moved to a smaller (50 bed) cognitive behavior facility. It was pretty scary when I got here. I was used to a nursing home where most of the people were at least over 75 years old. Most of them had dementia. There were a few combative residents but not anything like where I live now.
Three weeks after I got here, a traumatically brain injured young woman grabbed at me in the hallway. I knew she did not know any better, but she accidentally scratched the full length of my left arm. It was bright red and she broke two layers of skin. I still have scars.
But I moved on and tried to get along. I kept using the power chair that I got in 2008.
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