Caring Bridge - December 2019

Caring Bridge Journal Entry by Darby — December 5, 2019

Michael has cancer. Michael has cancer again.  I am not even sure I know what to do with those statements. He turns 50 tomorrow and has cancer.

Michael has been sick since September. We both had a cold the first week of September. I took about 2 weeks to start feeling human, but Michael still wasn’t past it and feeling so badly in October. At the time, he didn’t have insurance so a friend helped him see a doctor. Just based on symptoms the doctor thought he had walking pneumonia so gave him a zpac. That helped a little, but not really. 

This whole time, he has had ongoing symptoms that made it nearly impossible for him to work. He can’t sit upright for more than an hour at a time and even just that hour pretty much wipes him out for the rest of the day. He has a fever everyday. The fever spikes up several times a day. He is in lots of pain. He has a horrible cough that has made him feel like he has bruised his ribs. 

The beginning of November, he finally had a regular physician, who ran many many tests, ending with a CT scan. The report that came back indicating cancer on his liver and spleen.

With that news, he was referred to an oncologist.  The oncologist ordered a more tests including a biopsy as this cancer doesn’t look typical. We are playing the waiting game to get tests approved by insurance before scheduled. Meanwhile he is not doing well. He has lost 20 lbs in 3 weeks.

Some other details about it all...he has fluid on his lungs, an enlarged heart, shortness of breath, the side with the liver is constantly hot to the touch, horrible headaches, coughs so badly often throw up, in pain almost all the time, he has become allergic to Tylenol and can’t take ibuprofen or aspirin. 

I am scared and worried. I hope we get answers and a direction for treatment after the tests.