Just wanted to ask before I made any assumptions.
My wife started chemo a month ago. Every two weeks for six months. Five months, ten more treatments to go.
Every cancer case is different as well as the chemo treatments can and should greatly vary. That’s longer than I typical hear of for breast cancer patients, some get chemo twice a week or once a week often consisting of 16-18 times, although those whose cancer has metastasized may be on chemo for the rest of their life. They almost always get it through a port implanted in their upper chest going into a large vein in their neck.
During the first one, she started thinking about not doing any more. After the initial five days, she was back to "normal," and thinking "no problem."
I have patients that come in and workout pretty hard 3 times a week while on chemo during the whole treatment and others that come in and struggle to get through at a slow pace but they do it. Other times I cut the session the short and if I do that it is because I really see they are not up to it, but I try to keep them moving at least a little. There are days when some come by and tell me they just can’t do it today.
After the second round, we've figured out that she's going to be down for a week, back up for a week. That's gonna be our routine for five more months
Down for a week and back up for a week is somewhat common for 2 week intervals. Although, sometimes the doctors find meds that help with the down time, if really bad symptoms sometimes they get on another type of chemo drug and do much better and sometimes I think they just adapt because they get less symptoms as time goes on and these might avoid coming in to workout during a certain small window of time, like 2 days. Some will only occasionally feel too bad to put in a good workout.
She's already starting to feel the cumulative effects: not being able to touch cold things, for example. Initially, it was just during the infusion. Already, she's not able to grab a jug of milk out of the fridge without using a towel or gloves.
I’ve seen all kinds of stages and rates of neuropathy too, in the hands and also the feet. I had a few come in who regained the feelings in their hands after quite some time, a couple were told they might never regain these sensations. Some aren’t told to get physical therapy for months or even years after treatment and these can be more challenging cases. BTW, another issue is lymphedema onset after having a gland or glands removed which can take years to even show up but this should be watched for and kept in check if it arises, I say this because I get patients that never even knew this could happen.
It seems to me that usually the hands and/or feet are most affected in the later parts of the chemo treatments, it could be that your wife might do better if/when she becomes more accustom to the sensation. Some people are simply more tolerant than others and some learn to be tolerant and on rare occasion a person’s intolerance to pain causes issues such as chronic atrophy if someone stops using their hand(s) -> arms -> shoulders/feet, legs, hips for months. I encourage people to keep moving as much as possible, this makes rehabilitation easier. The patients that begin physical therapy at the onset and continues throughout are typically in much better condition than those who don’t.
During the infusions, she can't drink tap water. I have to heat it up to room temperature. No mouth sores yet; but we've still got ten more treatments.
Those are the little side effects. More are coming. And I'm not talking about hair. That's the least of it. Her doctor says she's the heathiest person in the chemo treatment place. I can't imagine what those others are going through during their infusion periods.
What these women can go through breaks my heart at times, especially the soft sensitive ones that would have freaked out at a broken nail or paper cut before all this. Although, in my experience nothing has affected me more than a couple of patients that resorted to “alternative treatments” and waited too long and I won’t go into the details but to say aggressive out of control metastasized cancer is far worse than any chemo treatment I’ve ever seen. So maybe you can understand my aversion to the idea that there are home remedy treatments equally on par with physician prescribed chemo.
I was considering quitting my job because I was/am feeling and carrying so much emotion over the times I can’t make things better for someone, and frankly I still might. Seeing patients bounce back really helps though and most do and quickly. I had a patient I hadn’t seen for months come up to me in a store a while back with the biggest brightest smile on while she turned around and proudly presented how correct her posture and biomechanics were now (something I harp on), much better than before all this, in fact she’d never reached this level before and it was obvious that she was still on a fitness high and feeling good. That came at a time when I really need some uplifting because of another patient (yes, one that waited 1 ½ years to begin treatment while trying alternatives) whose situation and tears had been getting to me.
You say you do rehabilitation and work with breast cancer patients. Well, I'm living it.
I know it’s rough but it will be worth it. I often get women in after the chemo treatments for rehabilitation and they can be in pretty poor shape but I get them moving again starting with light resistance and get them up into what I call “my big girl routine” as I increase the resistance and exercises while becoming as a personal trainer to them (their words). Many are very discouraged at first at how weak they are and I tell them I haven’t had anyone not get stronger yet, and that is the truth.
I typically have them for about 2 ½ months after chemo and the improvements are amazing, like unable to curl 2 lbs to curling 20 lbs one handed, they are like different people when they leave. I’ve had several that have never done any bodybuilding before and several have gone on and joined gyms or bought exercise equipment afterwards and they leave being excited about the new possibilities. It can be and often is an experience that you grow from and come out being stronger.
Regarding the main topic of this thread: the question is, when is the government allowed to annul your personal rights and decide what's best for you?
I believe “Tough Love” has a time and place when it comes to a child making poor decisions that seriously effects their wellbeing even if that decision is supported by their parent. This case, because of the irresponsible behavior by the parent, I feel is a time that intervention on the parental rights is justified. If that mother wanted to forego the overwhelming odds of success for “alternative treatments” which are doomed to fail for her own treatment, fine, whatever, she’s an adult, but to enable a child to throw away her life calls into question the mothers ability to make a rational parental decision. I wonder where the father is in all this, but I’ve said my piece and now am done debating this case.
You’ll be in my prayers.
