The immediate heart failure crisis is over. Time to pause; evaluate and redirect. My local doctor thinks cancer treatment is over. Heart Failure is kind of a non-negotiable for her. Her suggestion is HOSPIC care. The cancer is not going away—it appears to be spreading. I appear to be losing the battle. HOSPIC will ensure I am comfortable. HOSPIC is not an immediate shutdown and goodbye. There are people who have been in HOSPIC for years. Some enter; withdraw for a specific treatment; enter again. I know the immediate benefit for me is free diapers. Adult diapers are not cheap but are very necessary when you have urinary issues. I will have someone medically checking on me—someone a little dispassionate. DH says I tend to over state how well I am doing leading the doctor to think Im great when Im barely alive. There will also be some personal grooming assistance and a little light housekeeping. Both extremely needed. I simply cant do things I did 2 years ago or even 6 months ago. Anything I need for my comfort will be provided including specialized equipment and the O2 Ive so recently found necessary.
And then there is the other point of view….. My Oncologist doesnt seem to think I am dead. He admits the metastasis to the heart is rare but doesnt think that was the cause of the heart failing. He is looking at the CHF similarly to had I broken a leg i.e. while I am being treated for one medical condition, cancer, a second medical condition arose which needed care. We hit the pause button on cancer treatment, fixed the 2nd condition (CHF) and now we are ready to resume cancer treatment. I tend to think the cancer treatment was always effecting the heart because always after 2 months treatment, Id become very weak, very fatigued. Always. The only way to know for sure? Now that the heart is stable; all the tests normal or near normal: start the chemo. We ve agreed to 2 weeks chemo then a CT scan and more blood work……
sdbev 