Hello friends. It has been awhile since my last post. So much has transpired with my cancer, and I have been down, not having the cognitive ability to stay on top of my blog.
My cancer is taking control of my life and I am hoping that will all change when I visit my specialist tomorrow. My blood is taking over and wreaking havoc on my entire bodily systems. I was recently hospitalized and it was found that I have carotid artery disease. My artery is 1/2 blocked and there is stenosis on my carotid artery bulb. Now, I don't have all the technical lingo, but this is all new findings, meaning my blood is making clotting a major risk factor. I have already suffered two TIA's, which increases my stroke risk, and now this new finding increases it even more. For me, the time is now to tackle this cancer head on. The problem with that is, there is no cure. There are only treatments to try and assist me in regaining my quality of life. My quality of life is poor right now. I want to move in a direction that will change my prognosis. I am at moderate risk of mortality-that is scary. The only thing that is an option to save my life is a stem cell transplant. It is a dangerous procedure and comes with many unknowns; which makes me apprehensive about wanting to take that route. But here is how I am thinking about it...having PV makes me a 45% risk of dying from thrombatic events, such as stroke or clot. My scans indicated that I had a pseudo aneurysm; combined with the other findings, my risk for stroke is high. We have to change all of that, STAT! I can only leave this in God's hands, and tomorrow discuss all of this with the specialist and devise a new plan.
I am still working on my blog posts about families dealing with cancer when Mom is the one who has received the diagnosis of cancer. There is so much to learn, and there is little information for people like me, who have children, one who is still young, to assist us in helping our families and loved ones cope with our illness. Everything changes when Mom has cancer, it really does. As I can, I will post more and talk about our experience as a family, and how it has changed our life.
I am getting excited about Christmas. I am cleaning and organizing, as much as I can, to get the house prepared for this very special time of year. I love Christmas time. Well maybe December in general! LOL! It is also my birthday month, so it has always been a special time of year.
See you soon!
Love always,
Cara
