Long journey with love
In October 1973, I was operated on for uterine cancer. It was confined, and no
treatment was required.
My husband, George, died of lung cancer Oct. 5, 1996, a year and a half after
being diagnosed. He was a heavy smoker.
In my dad’s family, three of his six siblings had cancer. On my mother’s side,
there has been no cancer, so I didn’t think that would be my trouble since I had cancer
once.
On the evening of March 4, 2004, I found a lump in the inside of my breast. Was
it a lump or not? After getting a mammogram – my last one had been 16 months earlier – I was told it was cancer.
On March 17, I had a mastectomy. It was very invasive, and the lymph nodes
under my arm were taken. I had eight rounds of chemo and 33 radiation treatments,
which I weathered quite well. My blood counts dropped, so had to have shots to build
the blood up. I was finished with treatments in November, and my hair starting growing.
Yes, I had lost it all. Hair loss is a small matter, but when it grows and no more wigs, it’s
a good feeling.
The year of 2005 went extremely well. I took a couple trips, and life was good
until Christmas, when I started having flu-like symptoms. After many tests, the breast
cancer had metastasized, going to the bones and between linings of my stomach; it was
hard to diagnose.
On my 70th birthday, Feb. 20, 2006, I had half my stomach removed. I was back
on chemo for a year with hair loss and many trips for treatments, checkups and shots to
keep my blood count up. I was then given a two-months break from chemo to heal, but
my cancer counts came up (which is not good), so back I went on chemo.
I know that my faith in God has strengthened me for the fight. Also with the help
of the community, family and friends, the cancer journey has been easier. One hard
problem is asking for help from the many willing people. My oncology doctor and nurses
have been a godsend with their encouraging words and help. The journey has been
long, but with the love and concern of others, life goes on.
As of this writing, the bones are in check if I don’t abuse them – such as too
much walking or standing.
My advice is to get early detection. Get your doctor’s advice and follow it.
UPDATE MARCH 1, 2009:
Betty, who has had ovarian, breast and bone cancer, said get early detection and doctor’s advice — then follow it.
“I’m doing pretty well. I have some backaches, a little pain. I take a bone builder and a hormone blocker.”
Tags: Betty E. Rohweder
