LAST FRIDAY
the very horrible, awful, terrible, unbeliveable,
unreal, sad, crazy day!!

Last Friday, started great with Daisy and I getting up ready to go to work out at Curves. We knew that we were going to have a great day. We were meeting some good friends and going to the Savannah Tea Room for lunch. It is a great place to go here in Savannah with great smells and wonderful food...plus the great friends...what more would you need!!

We came home and showered and were getting ready. The phone rang. I answered it and it was my friend Betty. I have written about her before. She is my friend that has lung cancer. She was crying and asked me if I would go with her to the doctor as soon as possible. I said of course that I would meet her there. I told Daisy and she said that she would get the other ladies and all would work out fine. Daisy and I sat down and prayed together because by that time I was in tears knowing that something was up for Betty and it was not good.

I hurried and dressed and made it to the doctor's office even beating Betty. When she got there you could tell she was upset and nervous. She thought that we were going in to have her new clinical trial cancer test started today. She had an MRI the day before of her head to make sure that all was well. You see the clinical trials cannot be done if any cancer is detected in the brain. She was just very nervous what these new tests would entail. The nurse had requested that she bring along a family member. She could not find one so she had asked me to go along. The nurse had been a little hesitant on the phone so again that made Betty nervous.

We were shown into a room and the doctor arrived. What a sweet man!! He looked straight at Betty and told her as gently as he could that the MRI had shown a couple of spots in her brain!! Betty looked like she was in a dream!! It took me a couple of seconds to process what he had said too....her cancer has spread to her brain!! Oh no!! I got up and put my arm around her and held her hand. She begins to cry and of course so did I. Her doctor came over and comforts her saying that this is just another "bump in the road". We cannot do the clinical trials now because this medication cannot be done if there is any cancer in the brain. We both ask what happens now. He tells us that is why we called you in early. We have the radiation dept on stand by waiting for you. You are going to start radiation ASAP!!

Betty is just so shocked!! Here she thinks she has come in to just get a treatment and she finds out that her cancer has spread to her brain. She also finds out that her left lung has filled up with fluid. She coughs and has a time breathing also. Now another problem: Her leg is beginning to hurt at the groin area and it is making her limp. Her cancer has spread to her lymph nodes and adrenal glands. News is just not good.

I feel like that at any minute we are both going to wake up and laugh and this is going to be a BIG DREAM!! But nope it is turning out to be an awful, horrible, very bad day!!

Her doctor is so kind. He just lets Betty cry on his chest as he holds her like a little child. I have never seen a doctor like this in my whole life!! I was so touched!!

We gather up everything and off we go to the 1st floor and sign in for the radiation. She is given an whole wealth of papers to fill out. She tries but just cannot concentrate. I picked them up and took them back to the lady at the counter and told her that my friend has just been given the worst news she could have had and she just cannot do this crazy stuff...NOT NOW!!

We are warmly welcomed by some sweet nurses and then yet another kind doctor. He explains all about radiation and how it will not hurt. He explains the side effects. We both ask questions and get good and understandable answers. I think that I learned more than I ever wanted to know that day!!

She had to have a mask made for her face. This was extremely hard on her because she is like me and is claustrophobic. She had a time with that!! I can well understand!! Finally she makes it into the radiation part. We have been waiting in some room now since about 11:30. We neither one have eaten since breakfast. Finally and I say finally....we are told we can leave at 4:30...such a long, long day.

She is going to have to have radiation treatments every day now for the next 3 weeks. She is also going to have a bone scan for the leg this coming Tuesday. We are so praying that it is nothing and that the cancer has not spread to her leg!!

I suppose you are wondering just WHY I would blog on such a thing as this and you know I am kind of wondering this myself. Blogging is for venting and getting things off of your chest. When I got home Friday I was so tired..mentally and I was really wearing my emotions right on the very very tip of my sleeve. I wanted to cry every time I turned around!! I think that I just needed to get this down in black and white and to realize that this is really happening!!

Today I am so much better after sleeping and taking a lot of naps yesterday!! It has so exhausted me. I know that the coming days, weeks and months are going to be filled with helping my friend fight this disease. I know that only God is going to be able to make this scary creature called cancer go away from Betty's body. Betty has an attitude that is marvelous!! She has 4 grown kids that are so grieving this for their mom. I feel so sorry for them....One has already accepted Jesus as their Savior because of watching her go through this. She is being used to lead her children to the Lord!!

We moms will do anything for our children!! Anything!! Even if it might mean giving up our lives for them!!

One other thing I learned while sitting in the waiting room....I was on the healthy side of the room and on the other side was every one going in to get the radiation!! WOW!! I was praising God for my health!! We just do not know how thankful we should be for our health. We can have all of the money in this world but if we lose our health...we have nothing!!

I am so glad this is my blog and you can read this or just skip on to someone else's blog and say too much reading here. I just needed to write this all out...kind of like therapy for me in a way!! i feel some better already...funny how that is.