So where are we now?

   Charlie once again has Throat Cancer but I found out since we last wrote it isn't the same type cancer, it is small cell cancer. He has good days and bad, but lately has slowed down on mowing and very little trim work. So Charlie basically has progressed to the point of semi-functioning. He makes a joke about it because he will be 80 years old this August. Tina, my biological mom I must say has stuck right there with him, and she has a plate full. William has since gone on dialysis, had a TIA, and went Septic. So that makes 2 ways she is being pulled watching, I am now once again the third way.

   So, where do I begin? This is coming in a tad late just like I started the Throat Cancer Blog. In no way do I blame anybody for this disease starting back beside me. So I guess I will start at the beginning. For a month or two I began coughing up a little blood. Over time, it became harder to hide until finally, I couldn't hide it. I had a follow-up with Dr Rathfoot and decided we'd tell him, well Denise decided we'd tell him, about the bleeding. He listened and heard a low rumble/rattle type noise. Dr. Rathfoot wanted a CT on the chest area, 3 places showed up. Could be something, could be nothing, except they all would turn out to be something. This was done May 3rd, 2019, the start of it all. Dr. Rathfoot got me lined up with another doctor which passed me to yet another doctor who passed me to his partner. Meanwhile the Oncologist I was told I would see also changed. So now you can probably see why testing seemed to go on forever. UT Hospital dropped the ball, and I was the ball. 

   The words that Dr Panella said to me about how head and neck cancer follow the "Tree" Head, Throat, Lungs rang through my head. I have started and stopped smoking 1000 times since the Throat cancer, but I started 1001 times. I've noticed some things more since I have quit this time, quit smoking Cold Turkey. Now I have to ask myself, why does a company that makes their money want you to quit? Easy answer, they don't. 

   Back to the story: UT Hospital still had no course of action planned in over a month. During that time they did a CT, Pet Scan of the body, a CT assisted lung biopsy coming in the back. I didn't understand why they did the lowest tumor in the right lung using a bioscopy and not the left.... 2 weeks later? Why wait? 

   As we got in Denise Jeep we started out back to UT Hospital, they had called us back saying come to the ER, not to them. It hit me as we went up the driveway and I told Denise I would not make the trip, I simply was in so much pain that I would not be breathing that long. She offered to go back and call 911, but I knew if I laid down there would be no getting back up. She said Morristown Hamblen Hospital or Jefferson Memorial, I picked Morristown Hamblen. I was out of breath as we entered the ER, lucky for us we were it. She explained to the Nurse and they told her to get me right back and Denise filled out the paperwork. They were more concerned with me that paperwork. 

   The ER Doctor walked in and nurses were everywhere working hard. They asked what kind of pain meds I was on and shocked when we said none. I told them I had bled a lot since the Bronchoscopy where he Cauterized the tumor and opened up the lower lobe of the lung.  I first thought he said it would free it up and he gave some stiff antibiotics to clear it up. 2 weeks later and I'm still bleeding but I no longer have Pneumonia bouts. The doctor and nurses cannot believe what they are hearing. I told them if the pain level would go down and I could cough some of it up some of the pressure would be relieved. They agreed and we tried Morphine, which had no effect. Then a coule of other things, they also had no effect. He used an over the counter arthritis type patch and it worked. They call UT Hospital and told them they had someone there that was their patient but was told they have been diverting patients. Could that have been the reason I wasn't kept despite the pain after punching a hole in my lung from the back? So we stayed. 

   It is late tonight and I am stopping, but much more to come.