Hello all,
my apologies for not contacting the BB much over the past 9 months but things have settled at last, so here I am!
First off, let me thank you from the bottom of my (mainly NSR) heart for your good wishes, prayers and many personal messages of encouragement - it made a huge difference knowing people were keeping us both in their thoughts!
Steve is home again after the final stage of his treatment, which was to insert a rod into his leg to strengthen the bone which has been damaged through radiation therapy.
After all the dramas with his first two stays in hospital, he was blessed with a complication-free procedure and was home again within the week!
So much has happened over the past 8 months that it's hard to condense it all but I'll try.
In a nutshell, all Steve's cancer treatment is now complete - he has a rod in his leg and is learning to walk again. We are thankful to God Who holds all our lives in His hands, and to the talented cancer specialists, radiation technicians, orthopaedic and plastic surgery teams and to our government for Medicare, without which we would not have been able to afford the treament.
If you want to read further, here's a bit of background.
Steve was diagnosed with an aggressive malignant fibrous histiocytoma in his left thigh in July 2010. As a matter of interest, this type of tumour is more 'common' in cyclists, one of which Steve had been for years.
The only symptom/warning (other than general fatigue and lack of interest in anything) was an aching knee, which he'd put down to arthritis.
Turns out the knee was aching because the tumour was so big it was pulling on the tendons leading to the knee, keeping it under constant tension. He remembers bumping into a desk in April 2009 and thinking "Ow!- that hurt!" but that the pain wasn't at the site of the bump. Because he was teaching at the time, he continued with the class and thought no more about it.
Finally, along with the constantly aching knee, his thigh started to swell and, at my insistence, he finally went to our local doctor in June 2010.
Following an ultrasound, the tumour was confirmed via an MRI scan.
We were at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute (Melbourne) within a month for 5 weeks of radiation therapy. (What a mountain of planning, preparation, packing and anxious nights is contained in that statement - without the help of family and friends we wouldn't have made it! Thank God for my sister, the dog-sitter!)
2 weeks into treatment Steve became so white and ill I thought he was going to die there and then. One of the doctors ordered a blood test (the first time Steve'd had one in the 26 years I'd know him!) and his red cell count was way down.
The doctors all claimed it was too early for the radiation to have had any effect on the bone marrow yet, so my poor, sick man was subjected to a colonoscopy, endoscopy and more scans - all to no avail as there was never any obvious cause found. Anyway, after 4 bags of blood, Steve was a new man - he said he felt better than he had in years and could think more clearly. So obviously he'd been anemic for a long time.
(See, all you guys out there? Go to the doc when your wife tells you to - she knows you and loves you!!)
Following the radiation treament it was a brief visit home (we both had tears in our eyes as we drove through the gate - what a sight for city weary eyes! Our humble little old country house surrounded by green lawns and trees), then back to Melbourne for the tumour removal.
The tumour was removed and an erector muscle from his chest/stomach was removed and grafted into his leg but because the tumour was much bigger than anticipated (despite multiple scans!!!), and took so long to get out, it was decided not to insert the rod at that time.
This is where things began to go pear-shaped but it could have been worse. Firstly, Steve sustained nerve damage to his left arm because his arm had been strapped in one position (above his head) for the 10 hour operation. This meant his arm and hand were either constantly tingling, aching or numb which added to the misery of recovering from the op itself.
The anesthetist apologised to Steve for the 'incident' and said that in 5000 operations this was the first time it had happened. He said most of the feeling 'should' come back over time.
Of the 5 drainage tubes, (3 in the leg and 2 in the stomach) 4 were out within the first week, but that last tube was still draining 2 weeks later, showing little sign of drying up.
Then it was discovered that Steve actually had an infection inside his leg, so he had to go on very strong antibiotics which played havoc with his digestive system. To top that off, he then contracted golden staph on the outside of the op site - (fortunately not inside!)
With hindsight, it was just as well the rod hadn't been inserted - with an infection both inside and outside, he could have lost his leg - now there's a God-incidence!
So instead of being in for 10 to 14 days, Steve spent almost 5 weeks in hospital. He finally came home a few days before Christmas - the best Chirstmas present I ever had - and went back for the rod operation on 8th Feb 2011. As I said we were home by the 13th Feb.
The rod has 2 pins at the top and one at the bottom ( knee level) and although Steve can now place weight on his leg, his knee has to be braced to hold him up. Hopefully, given time (and exercise!) it will be able to support him but it's possible he may have to wear a brace indefinitely. None of the doctors were able to give us a definite answer as to whether he will ever be able to walk or sit 'un-aided'.
He has lost lymph nodes from his left groin/upper thigh which means daily lymphatic drainage massage to keep the lymph fluid moving and prevent his foot from swelling. The doctors thought it safer to remove them to prevent possible spreading of cancer cells.
My heart behaved itself well considering the stress I was under. I had a few episodes of tachy that went for up to 6 hours - very, very tiring - but they self converted eventually. However, I find I'm more short of breath these days and when my heart does go out I also get chest pain if I don't stop what I'm doing immediately and go sit quietly. Unfortunately I missed my November appointment with my EP in Adelaide because we were in Melbourne, so I don't have any proof that my heart has altered but I feel it has. I'm still taking Nattokinase and the big 3 mineral supplements but not on any meds. Have discovered that digestive/bowel issues are a certain trigger for my AF/tachy episodes, so try to watch what I eat (and how much / how fast I eat it!).
Finally may I just say that without my faith in a loving God (who sees all and knows all and trains His children for their eternal life while they are still here on earth) I would have found this journey unbearable.
I felt Him most near when I was listening and watching my darling husband, grunting and moaning in pain - when I was driving white-knuckled in the big city with massive truck wheels revolving next to my driver's side window - times when the temptation to give in to terror was at it's strongest.....that still small voice reassuring me of His love and that this life on earth is only the beginning.
Well, thank you and congratulations if you are still with me at the end of this long post. Although I check the BB from time to time, I don't have anything of great relevance to say - there are far more experienced people on this BB who can offer useful advice.
My life is so much busier now with the privilege of caring for Steve and helping him back on his feet (pun intended!) that I have less time for perusing the BB. May God bless you, gentle reader, and grant you the answer to an NSR filled life!
with love
Emmie
