A Caregiver's Inspirational Journey Through Cancer
Posted in CB (CaringBridge), MM Chrono Journey on Jul 14th, 2009
CB #14 While all this is going on on the West Coast, I learned that my incredible friends and neighbors were rallying around and organizing a “packing” schedule. When I got home I had troops of friends all doing something and coming over here and there to help me pack 27 years of CRAP for […]
Posted in CB (CaringBridge), MM Chrono Journey on Jul 14th, 2009
CB #13 Its a Tuesday, the 24th of June, 2008 Dave has been in the hospital almost a week now. He is desperate to get out and I’m desperate to not be sitting in a hard chair all day long, but… the pain is really tough. He is having a hard time emotionally taking all […]
Posted in Caregiver Thoughts, MM Chrono Journey on Jul 14th, 2009
Looking back now what is so shocking about Myeloma at this time in our journey, was how Dave was working, driving, flying and living his life and then WHAM! He is knocked on his preverbal ass in an instant and can hardly get out of bed. I have to dress him and help him with […]
Posted in CB (CaringBridge), MM Chrono Journey on Jul 14th, 2009
CB #12 One of the things I have always been really good at is lining up all the things that need to get done and organizing it in a logical manner with tight scheduling and make it happen. I still had a job! I had left abruptly while my boss was out of town, I […]
Posted in CB (CaringBridge), MM Chrono Journey on Jul 13th, 2009
CB #11 What the hell does T8 & T9 “Involvement” mean? All we knew was Dave had “lesions” on his spine and shoulder. Ok, so this explains the pain I guess. The solution was to handle it with radiation. Ok. Dave couldn’t move, so an ambulance had to come to his room, get him from […]
Posted in CB (CaringBridge), MM Chrono Journey on Jul 13th, 2009
One of my CB entries early on… CB #10 Monday, June 23, 2008 Whew Folks! What a week. From Monday morning when Dave couldn’t get out of bed and missed his trip to Las Vegas, to Monday evening being told after a chest cat scan that he had metastatic cancer of the spine, to finding […]
Posted in CB (CaringBridge), Misc, MM Chrono Journey on Jul 13th, 2009
I knew about Caring Bridge (if you don’t, you should check it out) from friends of a teenager who had been in a car accident. It is a wonderful tool that allows you, in seconds to set up a website and tell everyone what is going on and then make “Journal” entries that friends and […]
Posted in CB (CaringBridge), MM Chrono Journey on Jul 12th, 2009
CB #8 Wednesday, June 18, 2008 (late afternoon) After my conversation with Dave’s parents, I called Marilyn back and asked her to call them for me. She knows them and she knew Dave’s mother would take it very hard. She, like me, also knew, that Dave needed full support, infused with complete optimism and confidence […]
Posted in CB (CaringBridge), MM Chrono Journey on Jul 12th, 2009
CB #7 Wednesday, June 18, 2008 (late afternoon) We now knew what Dave had. It was Cancer. Multiple Myeloma. I learned it was a blood cancer. In the same family as Leukemia and Lymphoma. I later learned it was an “orphan disease“, comprising only 1% of all diagnosed Cancers and 14% of the blood cancers. […]
Posted in CB (CaringBridge), MM Chrono Journey on Jul 12th, 2009
CB #6 Wednesday, June 18, 2008 (afternoon) While I was getting a bite, changing clothes, picking up Dave’s car, I get a phone call from a dear, dear friend, Marilyn G, MD, Internal Medicine Extraordinaire! Hudson, our son, had driven over to her house and told her what was going on. Her son, Taylor and […]
Posted in CB (CaringBridge), MM Chrono Journey on Jul 12th, 2009
CB #5 Wednesday, June 18, 2008 My dear friend from my teenage days, Carmen, insisted on picking me up at the airport. Carmen and I go way back to when we were 15 years old. Her Dad and my Mom dated, that’s how we met. We have kept close in touch all these years and […]
Posted in CB (CaringBridge), MM Chrono Journey on Jul 12th, 2009
CB #4 Wednesday, June 18, 2008 As you know from my earlier post, that I got the definitive diagnosis on Dave when I landed in Vegas from my dear friend Jude. Dave has the “easiest” form of Myeloma to treat and he is expecting him to have a “full recovery”. Whew! Whatever the hell all […]
Posted in CB (CaringBridge), MM Chrono Journey on Jul 12th, 2009
CB #3 June 16, 17 & 18, 2008 As with many things in our lives, initially Dave was, “I’m fine. You don’t need to come. Let’s wait and see…” I hesitantly go off to work the next morning and within about 30 minutes, I have secured a flight, and started making arrangements to get out […]
Posted in CB (CaringBridge), MM Chrono Journey on Jul 12th, 2009
CB #2 June 16, 17, & 18, 2008 Clearly something was wrong, but I was very uneasy about a Radiologist making such a definitive diagnosis with no supporting data. His blood was fine, his urine was fine. He was getting admitted now and I was trying to make sure that paperwork was signed adhering to […]
Posted in CB (CaringBridge), MM Chrono Journey on Jul 12th, 2009
CB #1 Monday, June 16, 2008 “Lori?” “Yeah?” “It’s Sarah.” “Oh Hi Sarah, what’s up?” “Dave can’t get out of bed, his back.” “What?” “Yeah, he was supposed to go to Vegas this morning and he can’t get out of bed he’s in a lot of pain. I don’t know what to do. I could […]
Posted in Caregiver Thoughts, Misc, MM Chrono Journey on Jul 12th, 2009
This is a true story, an adventure, a journey, whatever you wish to call it, of my experience caring for my husband, Dave, when he was diagnosed with (MM), a rare blood cancer (1% of all cancers, 14% of the three blood cancers – Leukemia, Lymphoma, Myeloma). I also cared for my mother, Chris, who […]
Posted in Begin Here (shortcut), MM Chrono Journey on Jul 12th, 2009
Dave and I are typical. We are essentially the same age, although I am 1 year and three months older, which he LOVES to remind me of every year on my May birthdate when I am 2 years older for the summer until he “catches up” with me and is only a year behind. It […]
