Just a quick update.

The doctor didn't phone Grandma in yesterday. She is still waiting with no damn treatment!! It is a long weekend in Canada so now she will have to wait until Tuesday to hear anything.....what a joke!!!! I am so angry!!!! I did see grandma yesterday. She said even if surgery was an option she wouldn't have it. She couldn't handle it.

Every day that does by the less hope I have.

I am watching her suffer and nobody will do a damn thing about it!!!!

Really ticked off today,

Christy

Christy
Hate long weekends they are always when you are waiting for results, glad you and your Grandma can talk about this, and that you can help her make the right treatment choice, going to be a hard weekend for you, but try to stay strong, you are doing good here girl...
Stay in the sunshine when you can
Love and HUgs
Helen

Christy,
sometimes the information has to be passed on to all of the people responsible for her care. Sometimes this is called a tumor board. Since it is a medical art and not a science they sometimes have to debate the best method of treatment. The again maybe the Canadian health care system is just slow.

The reason most of us are getting 2 month check ups is that they don't feel that the cancer could make significant progress in that time frame for it to increase the risk factor (there are always exceptions). So a few days probably won't matter for a cancer that has already been there for some amount of time.

This doen't help the anxiety issue however - as others have mentioned, the waiting game is the hardest part.

Hang in Christy...I know what you are feeling and I feel for you. Spend the time talking to your Grandma,try and take her mind of it. she will hate it that you are so upset. Wish I had a magic wand for you.
Take care
Marica

Mom is taking Grandma up to the hospital again. She is running a fever, but her throat hurts so bad she can't eat anything now. We are thinking maybe she might be sick with an infection....cold maybe. The doctor is at the hospital, but still no biopsy reports back.

Keep you all posted.....:-))

Christy

Christy,
she may have a raging case of thrush, especially the way you describe the tongue condition and the mouth odor. It cause also cause extreme swallowing pain as well. A bloom of thrush is common when taking antibiotics. Is she on Diflucan or Nystatin?

By the way the dental trays fit snug over the teeth - the tongue is not involved.

I can't emphasize enough the importance of dental hygiene. Osteoradianecrosis (literally bone-radiation-death) could cost her a jaw bone removal. Please refer to:
http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/dental/dental-complications.htm

Hello Gary,

She is not on anything. The doctor gave her Tylenol 3 for pain. The hospital said yesterday that she had no cold or flu symptoms. I guess everything is caused by the cancer.....I just don't know. I thought the doctor would call her in tomorrow (Tuesday).....guess what!! He is not in tomorrow. She had the biopsy on Wednesday last week. He said the results would be 24 to 48 hours.....he put a rush on it. Ya right, what the hell is a rush? I am sorry, but I am so depressed. Every day she sounds worse. I offered to cut her grass today, and she turned me down again. I feel so useless!!

Sorry,

Christy

Christy,
I would substitute "useless" with "helpless". Somethings just don't go the way we plan in spite of our best intentions. You have been a most excellent and caring patient advocate. Your role has been made even harder by being in a third party situation by 2 people who are in denial about their bad health habits. Maybe the lesson here is that these kinds of problems can rob you of your so called "golden years". I heard somebody say once "If I had known that I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself".

Cancer is an epidemic is the US. A person here dies every minute of every day. At least 5 died while I wrote this. It's not surprising to me why the health care system is stressed out and why delays occur.

Social health care systems like they have in Canada and Sweden are notoriusly ineffecient compared to the US system. Although millions have no health care coverage in the US. There are tradeoffs with every system.

In my case it took almost 2 months from the original Dx to the beginning of treatment and everything was put on a rush.

Hi Gary,

Thanks for all your help and posts.....they have been very helpful.....:-))

I don't think my Grandma can wait another 3 weeks for her treatment to start. In 3 days she only drank 7 Ensure drinks. She is no longer eating, and she is dizzy when she is up walking around.

She said she will not have the surgery.....I can only hope she can be treated successfully with chemo and radiation.

Yes, the health care out here is terrible....I agree totally with you there.

I did phone the doctor today. He didn't tell me much

Christy-

Your grandmother is really lucky to have such a wonderful caring granddaughter on her side. I know what you mean about the "system" being slow. No, I'm not in Canada but I can tell you I spent many an hour hounding the insurance company to approve better medications or the doctors to listen to my husband's symptoms instead of just saying it was an "infection". Thank God I never gave up. I never wanted the diagnosis of cancer for my husband but I always wonder how much worse it could have been if I hadn't demanded they do more tests.

You Go Girl!!!!


Lorie