Today is March 18, seventy two days have passed since Loraine’s double mastectomy and she still has not healed enough to begin her radiation treatments. She had been healing just fine until a staph infection reared its ugly head and her radiation treatments had to be put on hold. After a course of strong antibiotics…
Category: No Hill For a Climber, Loraine’s Breast Cancer Journey
No Hill For a Climber, Fighting To Heal
Loraine and I truly hope that by telling our story of her battle against breast cancer that we may help others who may be facing the same. There is a plethora of things about this terrible disease that we had no clue about, every day seems to be a learning experience. With what seems to…
No Hill For a Climber, The Infection
Hurry up and wait! It appears we will be in this holding pattern for maybe the next couple of months until Loraine has healed from her mastectomy enough to begin her radiation treatments. She has had a set back with a deep infection to her incision that was discovered by the wound care specialist that…
No Hill For a Climber, Radiologist Visit
Stand down from the Alert 5! Most of my military career was spent in Naval Aviation, nine of those years in helicopter squadrons with Search and Rescue missions which meant that we were always at a heightened state of readiness – Alert 5, Alert 15, and Alert 30. These alerts are the time we would…
No Hill For a Climber, First Oncologist Visit
“Hurry up and wait!” “Hurry up and wait” has been a military mantra that has existed since the beginning of time. I had hoped when I retired from the military that I had left that mindset permanently behind me, Hell no, it appears that “hurry up and wait” also applies to the medical community when…
No Hill For a Climber, Fight Back Damn It!
Cancers of all types are an evil bitch that will destroy your quality of life and rob you of every bit of your dignity if you allow it. Cancer is an equal opportunity offender and does not give a damn about your race, gender, sexuality, religion or socio-economical back ground. Cancer does not give a…
No Hill For a Climber, Understanding the Pathology Reports
With a cancer diagnosis it often seems as if for every question that gets answered, a half dozen more will pop up. At times, I’m not too sure if my over active and inquisitive mind is a blessing or a curse. By my very nature, I am compelled to fix problems, and to do so,…
No Hill For a Climber, Pathology Findings
First and foremost, I want to thank God for giving Loraine and I the strength to face the uncertainties of life that we are now facing. Our faith will carry us through this journey. Loraine and I also want to convey our gratitude to Dr. Elizabeth Butler and her entire staff for their compassionate care…
No Hill For a Climber, Caretaker Thoughts
It was a week ago yesterday my beautiful wife Loraine underwent her double mastectomy. It has been a week of sleepless nights for a number of reasons such as pain, stress and worry. Later today we will be meeting with Dr. Butler to receive the full pathology reports where we will learn the full extent…
No Hill For a Climber, What To Expect After Mastectomy
You might be the one actually facing the process of a mastectomy, or maybe you are a caregiver to a loved one. Either way, from my point of view as a loving husband and caregiver to my beautiful wife of 33 years, I’m not sure anything can fully prepare you for the impact of a…