The Past Two Weeks

I'm now at liberty to discuss what we've been dealing with for the past two weeks so here goes... To understand the emotions better, I need to backtrack to 2007.

Less than two years ago, Gil's grandpa started experiencing heartburn and vomiting. It took awhile to get to the point where they performed an endoscopy and discovered a large gastric/stomach tumor. Exploratory surgery found the tumor to be so large it already attached to the pancreas and completely surrounded and choked off the pyloric sphincter, not allowing any outlet from the stomach. They created a bypass to skirt the tumor but after a couple of weeks, it was determined to have failed. Grandpa spent just over a month in the hospital and, because nothing else could be done other than palliative care, came home to hospice. Ten days later, while we all prayed the rosary around his bed, Grandpa passed on to be with Jesus in heaven. He essentially went from being a healthy, active man who still walked 18 holes on the golf course 3 times a week to starving to death in 2 months' time. It was an awful experience that left us emotionally and physically drained.

Fast forward to two weeks ago... While we were spending time with my parents, we received a phone call from Gil's family. His uncle had finally gotten in to see the doctor after experiencing lethargy and dull back pain for a number of months. Manual exam showed an enlarged liver and a CT showed extensive cancer: colon cancer with metastasis to the liver and lungs. He was to undergo endoscopy the next day to further evaluate but the scope was unable to be passed. He was admitted for dehydration and also underwent a liver biopsy. Gil and I were able to make it back home by this time and spent the weekend at the hospital with him. Last Monday, he had surgery to have a port implanted to allow easier infusions and blood draws without further compromising veins. We also were able to meet with the oncologist and Uncle was started on chemo immediately that afternoon/evening. His infusion lasted two days. The greater portion of his stay was spent trying to get the pain under control; there was finally a break in that on Thursday. He was discharged this past Monday and has spent the last 2 days getting settled and into a routine at home.

It seems like we're grasping to find spare moments to be able to take care of our household chores. It feels like everything is in disarray and chaos. I haven't cooked a meal at home in about 3 weeks. We've started letting the dogs sleep in the bedroom again, mostly to make them feel like they're spending more time with us because they're crated all day long and we're gone in the evenings.

Anyway, this whole cancer thing really stinks. Gil's family is small and tight-knit; his whole life, it was just his mom, his uncle, and his grandparents. Since his dad was killed in a work accident when he was just a toddler, his uncle and grandpa became like surrogate fathers for him. Grandpa getting sick and dying so unexpectedly was horrible. Now his uncle's sick... we're struggling to understand the reasons behind it, especially in relation to Grandpa's happening so recently, but that's a whole 'nother post!

Cancer sucks.