I posted in my journal months ago about my mother being diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer that was in an advanced stage. She was given a 30% chance to live.
It looks like her cancer is gone. They did a bone scan a few days ago. She had developed a lot of pain in her knee and back and was afraid that it might be the cancer. The bones and breast are the most common places for breast cancer to recur. The scans showed that it was just arthritis. There were no signs of cancer.
She has now had all of the tests done to check for cancer, and they have all been good.
It looks like she may have beaten the odds. It could still come back, but she is okay for now.
For anyone who didn't read the original journal entry:
My mother was diagnosed a little over a year ago. The cancer was detected in a mammagram I think 2 or 3 years earlier, but the doctors failed to notify her. The lab report for that first test said there was a small mass that was likely cancerous. There was no follow up. My mother was never told. She went through breast removal, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment as a result. She would not have lost the breast and may not have needed as much chemo and radiation if they had treated it when it was first detected. I've told my mom she should sue them for that terrible mistake that resulted in misery and disfigurement for her, not to mention nearly costing her her life. It may still cost her her life. There is a pretty high chance of recurrence in the next year or two. The chance will diminish as more time without cancer passes.
I may sue myself if she doesn't. I would give her any money I won in such a lawsuit. It's not really about the money. It is more about making the people who fucked up pay for their mistake. I just hope they haven't done the same thing to other women. I hope this was because of one unfortunate accident and not because of ongoing problems. I think the doctors involved should be forced to go look through all of the scans done in the last 5 or 6 years just in case someone else is in the same situation my mom was in, having cancer detected and not being notified, then finding out several years later when it is almost too late or worse, when it is too late.
I just don't know how they screwed things up. They detected the cancer and never told her. I know people make mistakes, but a mistake like that is terrible. It could cost someone their life. Doctors and medical professionals must be held to a higher standard than most because a mistake could harm or kill.
I'm really not so angry at the people who fucked up and I don't hate them. I hated them when I first found out about it and thought my mom was going to be dead soon. I wanted to kill them. I wanted to look in there eyes and feel the warm blood gushing out on my hands as they died and tell them why I was doing it. That didn't last long. It was just my initial reaction. I continued feeling some hate and disgust toward them for a few weeks and would get really angry when I think about it. That too passed. I still think everyone involved in the incident should have their work performance evaluated to see if any other mistakes were made and the individual who fucked up should be sued.
The most important thing is that my mom is okay, at least for now. I don't know if I could have gone on living if she had died. I have no friends and no other relatives that I feel close to except for my two youngest nephews. I doubt I'd have much contact with my nephews if my mom died. I'd be pretty much alone in the world. I hope I'll be able to make a friend some day. I don't want to end up completely alone. I also hope my mom lives a long life, but that isn't likely. She has multiple health issues in addition to the cancer.
The DXM is kicking in harder. I have to stop typing. I'm entering 3rd plateau level.
It looks like her cancer is gone. They did a bone scan a few days ago. She had developed a lot of pain in her knee and back and was afraid that it might be the cancer. The bones and breast are the most common places for breast cancer to recur. The scans showed that it was just arthritis. There were no signs of cancer.
She has now had all of the tests done to check for cancer, and they have all been good.
It looks like she may have beaten the odds. It could still come back, but she is okay for now.
For anyone who didn't read the original journal entry:
My mother was diagnosed a little over a year ago. The cancer was detected in a mammagram I think 2 or 3 years earlier, but the doctors failed to notify her. The lab report for that first test said there was a small mass that was likely cancerous. There was no follow up. My mother was never told. She went through breast removal, chemotherapy, and radiation treatment as a result. She would not have lost the breast and may not have needed as much chemo and radiation if they had treated it when it was first detected. I've told my mom she should sue them for that terrible mistake that resulted in misery and disfigurement for her, not to mention nearly costing her her life. It may still cost her her life. There is a pretty high chance of recurrence in the next year or two. The chance will diminish as more time without cancer passes.
I may sue myself if she doesn't. I would give her any money I won in such a lawsuit. It's not really about the money. It is more about making the people who fucked up pay for their mistake. I just hope they haven't done the same thing to other women. I hope this was because of one unfortunate accident and not because of ongoing problems. I think the doctors involved should be forced to go look through all of the scans done in the last 5 or 6 years just in case someone else is in the same situation my mom was in, having cancer detected and not being notified, then finding out several years later when it is almost too late or worse, when it is too late.
I just don't know how they screwed things up. They detected the cancer and never told her. I know people make mistakes, but a mistake like that is terrible. It could cost someone their life. Doctors and medical professionals must be held to a higher standard than most because a mistake could harm or kill.
I'm really not so angry at the people who fucked up and I don't hate them. I hated them when I first found out about it and thought my mom was going to be dead soon. I wanted to kill them. I wanted to look in there eyes and feel the warm blood gushing out on my hands as they died and tell them why I was doing it. That didn't last long. It was just my initial reaction. I continued feeling some hate and disgust toward them for a few weeks and would get really angry when I think about it. That too passed. I still think everyone involved in the incident should have their work performance evaluated to see if any other mistakes were made and the individual who fucked up should be sued.
The most important thing is that my mom is okay, at least for now. I don't know if I could have gone on living if she had died. I have no friends and no other relatives that I feel close to except for my two youngest nephews. I doubt I'd have much contact with my nephews if my mom died. I'd be pretty much alone in the world. I hope I'll be able to make a friend some day. I don't want to end up completely alone. I also hope my mom lives a long life, but that isn't likely. She has multiple health issues in addition to the cancer.
The DXM is kicking in harder. I have to stop typing. I'm entering 3rd plateau level.
