We got the diagnosis for my husband today. His L2 vertebra has shattered and the pieces went into his spinal cord. The L3 and L4 vertebrae have cancer. That’s all we know right now. He has been taken to Mass General in Boston for surgery to stabilize those 3 vertebrae. They will also remove the tumors and biopsy them.
I have put out a call for help in the area. His goal/project is to beat this and come home. My goal/project is to get the house finished so he can come home. There’s not much money left for paying contractors, but I will get it done somehow. He’s stubborn enough, having built a house by himself with cancer in his spine in 1 year, to beat this.
I don’t know how regularly I can post any more, as I expect to be making trips to Boston, if they will allow visitors. I will be trying to get ready for winter here on the farm, and keep people working on the house. So life is a bit more complicated….
I hope the operation goes smoothly and that you'll be able to visit.
I did find out I CAN visit and I have a ride out there and back too.
But now they are trying to determine IF they can operate...
The waiting is the worst. I hope decisions are made soon. ❤
That’s awful I’m sorry to hear that! I am going to look for the previous post you made but I hope you and your husband can get past this safely! Don’t worry about us here but if you can spare a few minutes in a couple weeks I would like to hear how you and your husband are doing!
We aren’t too far from Boston so if you think we could help let me know!
Thank you! I'm not sure Mass General will let me in as a visitor. But I will keep you in mind.
Oh no. I'm sorry to hear. At least it is diagnosed and in line for operation. You have a group of interns that I am sure will be able to help shoulder some of this but there is no easy ways forward. I hope you are allowed to be with him for this. I don't see any valid excuses for keeping people from being with their sick loved ones, no matter the circumstances.
They are very strict, it seems from their website, about visitors. But I'm hoping for an exemption due to the cancer.
I only have the 1 15 year old intern. She will help, but I have to direct her. My helper friend can only do the allotted hours, but he's a big help too.
The operation is today.
I hope everything went well.
Mostly they are gathering information. Decisions to be made today about whether surgery can be done.
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My thoughts are with you at this difficult time and I hope for the best for you both.
Thank you!
Oh wow, so sorry to hear the news.
Sending hugs and prayers your way, all day.
Be positive, it's amazing what surgeons can accomplish, it's a miracle waiting to happen.
That's what I've been telling him, keep a positive attitude!
Easy to say, hope surgery went well. Thinking and praying for your hubby as well as you and your family.🙏❤️
They have not yet decided if surgery is possible. Hopefully will today. No idea when it will be done, he may end up on a waiting list...
Upvoted and reblogged for awareness. Good luck with the operation today!
Thank you!
I hope all soon good, and he is back home.
It's going to be a long haul, but the goal is to get him home, for both of us.
Take lots of Vitamin C in tables or food to boost your immune system!
Best wishes.
@goldenoakfarm, I had to read through these to find out what happened. I'm so sorry I missed this - it's hard to keep up with everyone and now I have mass guilts. Shit.
Please let us know how we can help from afar - I guess we are very insignificant in grand scheme of this but just know we are thinking of you - all of HIVE, I'm sure.
Thank you @riverflows.
He had a relatively good day yesterday. They might just be getting the pain under control finally. Today is a PET scan, and they will decide if there's to be a second biopsy.
I'm sorry again you guys are going through this. I hope he finds some relief soon and they have a direction for treatment.
I've been skimming your posts. I don't know how I missed all of this. It sounds awful. Months and months of awful. Yet you managed to carry on, still manage to carry on. xo
Yes, it was really bad since October. Things are a bit better now, but I'm still carrying an awful lot...
I can't imagine. It devolved so quickly! I read the posts backwards, trying to find where it all started, and I see you buried info about his illness at the end of your garden and home posts. It wasn't easy to know all this about you!
You clearly have excellent coping skills. You are a rock star!!! How are you managing all this now? It seems as though you hardly skipped a beat. In one post you talked about getting something (a floor I think) done before he came home. Did you manage that? Did he get to come home again?
I wish you the brightest of days with cooling breezes, and nights full of deep and restful sleep. I also give you my permission to crumble into a pile of messy goo now and then.
xo
He did come home on December 15th. But all the things I tried to get done for him to come home didn't matter. He fell in the hospital because he was not supervised and broke his neck on December 14th.
I cope because I must. I missed a LOT of beats in the first 3 months. You may have noticed there weren't posts from early December until February. I must get an occupancy permit for the build or insurance will be cancelled. So I do what I can and hire help when I can find it.
And there's been more than plenty of messy goo days...
oh my god so you removed him from hospital under duress? did you have time to get the house ready? Those last ten days must have been sheer hell. Hospitals are extremely unsafe places for the suddenly critically ill. I hear in your posts that for two months in hospital he was unstable. To bring him home meant... I am astonished!
No, I had no support people, couldn't get any. I did find a hospice and they got him the proper bed and meds. Tom and family were all I had for those 10 days. My husband needed medication every 40 minutes, 24/7 through out. I don't know what I would have done if not for Tom and his daughter. My husband was deep in hospital induced delirium and started with Sundowners, similar to what Alzheimer patients sometimes experience. It wasn't a picnic...
No no I can see how horrible it must have been. I am familiar with hospital induced delirium, which in the case of my son was medically induced by one single stupidly huge overdose of ativan, and came and went for years afterwards.
Did he have any clear headed moments after coming home?
I'm glad you have family you are thankful for.