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They settled for a biopsy because the neurosurgeon didn't like the placement of the tumor--too close to things he didn't want to disturb. The results say it's a new primary cancer, a glioblastoma. He's already begun the set-up for radiation treatments: 5 days a week for 6 weeks, they said. Maybe some chemo. We'll see the oncologist next Monday, and probably start the radiation next week (they have to remove the railroad tracks on the side of his face first, which should happen Friday).
This has officially become a transportation nightmare (just to keep the focus away from the truly scary parts--one does what one must to keep going). He cannot drive now--too much chance of seizure, not to mention the memory and verbal problems. He could get lost so easily. This doesn't make him very happy, but he's begun to have quite a bit of dizziness and visual disturbance, and even fell at home the other day ( he thinks he passed out briefly; I'm thinking small seizure. It didn't seem to hurt him, although I worried about the biopsy site for a while). I have to work (my boss is great, but I do have things to accomplish for him!), he has to be at MoBap 5 days a week, and dialysis in Florissant 3 days a week. Our son is now on our auto insurance, so he can do some driving, but his classes at Flo Valley start in a couple weeks, and he has Guard training to do too. Also a job in Olivette, if the ROTC deal he wants to make doesn't go through for this semester.
Call-A-Ride may work out, once we get through their paperwork, but I wonder if the drivers are prepared to help him in and out the door, complete with oxygen tank and walker. I hope to hear about a possible van ride from the American Cancer Society, but I can't count on that, and they certainly wouldn't cover the dialysis trips.
Oh, and none of this addresses establishing a new permanent access for his dialysis to replace the one that collapsed on him; at the moment, they're using a temporary chest catheter (or whatever they call it) that means he can't take his preferred long, hot showers. We'll try to get it covered enough to protect it from shorter careful showers, but sitting under a soothing hot stream of water has been just about the only pleasure he had left. That and his Dragon Realms text game, which already gives him enough difficulty that he's talking about dropping it, after building up years of experience with his main character.
One thing I've not paid enough attention to, is his isolation; he's very lonely, and would sometimes like to see or talk to other people. It's always been hard for him to make new friends, and now he doesn't have any hobbies that he can pursue to help bridge that, as he did in the past. No job, no hobbies, no Dragon Realms. Until this, I'd been figuring that we'd find something he could do, but now, I don't even know how to begin. It could be that dialysis will be his new outlet. And that just feels wrong.
He needs some reason to keep fighting besides sheer stubbornness, y'know?
This has officially become a transportation nightmare (just to keep the focus away from the truly scary parts--one does what one must to keep going). He cannot drive now--too much chance of seizure, not to mention the memory and verbal problems. He could get lost so easily. This doesn't make him very happy, but he's begun to have quite a bit of dizziness and visual disturbance, and even fell at home the other day ( he thinks he passed out briefly; I'm thinking small seizure. It didn't seem to hurt him, although I worried about the biopsy site for a while). I have to work (my boss is great, but I do have things to accomplish for him!), he has to be at MoBap 5 days a week, and dialysis in Florissant 3 days a week. Our son is now on our auto insurance, so he can do some driving, but his classes at Flo Valley start in a couple weeks, and he has Guard training to do too. Also a job in Olivette, if the ROTC deal he wants to make doesn't go through for this semester.
Call-A-Ride may work out, once we get through their paperwork, but I wonder if the drivers are prepared to help him in and out the door, complete with oxygen tank and walker. I hope to hear about a possible van ride from the American Cancer Society, but I can't count on that, and they certainly wouldn't cover the dialysis trips.
Oh, and none of this addresses establishing a new permanent access for his dialysis to replace the one that collapsed on him; at the moment, they're using a temporary chest catheter (or whatever they call it) that means he can't take his preferred long, hot showers. We'll try to get it covered enough to protect it from shorter careful showers, but sitting under a soothing hot stream of water has been just about the only pleasure he had left. That and his Dragon Realms text game, which already gives him enough difficulty that he's talking about dropping it, after building up years of experience with his main character.
One thing I've not paid enough attention to, is his isolation; he's very lonely, and would sometimes like to see or talk to other people. It's always been hard for him to make new friends, and now he doesn't have any hobbies that he can pursue to help bridge that, as he did in the past. No job, no hobbies, no Dragon Realms. Until this, I'd been figuring that we'd find something he could do, but now, I don't even know how to begin. It could be that dialysis will be his new outlet. And that just feels wrong.
He needs some reason to keep fighting besides sheer stubbornness, y'know?
