12.09.04
2004 Ruled… 2005 is gonna suck
2004 has been an awesome year. I’ve lost about 40 pounds. My evil boss got sacked. Husband got a great job. Daughter is growing in all dimensions and bringing me joy everyday.
My dad was diagnosed with prostate cancer about 2 and a half years ago. At the time it was diagnosed, he was told that his cancer was a particularly agressive type. It laughs at radiation, and chemotherapy pisses it off. Dad chose to get neutered in the hopes that it would get all of the cancer. It didn’t. Since the operation, the cancer has been fighting back. In the past couple of months, it has really been doing a number on him. It causes him pain and debilitating muscle weakness. Over the weekend, my dad lost the ability to walk.
I don’t really know exactly what the numbers mean, but in one month, Dad’s PSA levels went from 76 to 211. As in golf, a high score is a bad thing.
In the hospital today, the doctors determined that the cancer has metastisized to his bones. The doctors have decided that Dad should be put in a hospice for the next 6 months. You see, Medicare will pay for hospice care for patients for up to 6 months, including all prescription medication. Doctors try to transfer their patients to hospices when they believe that they will need that type of care for 6 months or less. I’ll let you read between the lines.
My mom is suffering from congestive heart failure. Her heart is pumping at about 17%. It is too weak to counteract the effects of gravity on her blood and so when she walks or stands, her feet and calves swell to something resembling liverwursts. Earlier this year, a bladder infection strained her heart to the extent that she was in the hospital for a week.
I tend to be a “half-empty” kind of girl, but I don’t think it is pessimistic to predict that 2005 is not going to be a very good year. It is realism.
