Looks like my step-daughter’s cancer is back.

Ron rushed out of here late yesterday afternoon to be with his daughter. She called him, crying so hard he could hardly understand her.

She’s been in testing all week to determine the extent of her cancer, and finally got the news yesterday. Apparently it’s everywhere in her bones. I don’t think it’s in her organs, but I’m not clear on that. She told her Dad it’s even in her skull…not her brain, but the bones of her skull.

I don’t have a lot of details, Ron gave me what he had but a lot is still unclear. I don’t understand why a tech called her instead of the doctor, why she wasn’t presented with various treatment options, why she has to wait the whole weekend to speak to a doctor.

She does have an appointment at the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center on Tuesday so at least there’s that.

I spoke to Ron briefly last night and again this morning. Sheri calmed down once her Dad got there, and his grandsons were so happy to see their Papa, they stuck to him like glue. They ordered pizza and piled up on the couch to watch a movie.

This is just so awful. I feel like Sheri just got handed a death sentence. 😢
 
robin416 said:
I'm so sorry Ronni. They handled this in the worst way possible.

We're here if you need to vent. I know you're holding a lot close so you don't stress Ron but you can use us to let some of it out.
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Thank you @robin416

I’m dealing by with my own stress-induced physical issues. My BP’s gone up, I’m having PVCs which happens when I’m anxious, and is a precursor to a panic attack. I’m on medication for depression and anxiety related to my sons’s death, and I had frequent panic attacks immediately after. They lessened considerably in the last year an a half, but this added stress has them ramping up again. I’m also getting migraines again.

Ron doesn’t know and I won’t tell him, well except for the migraines which I can’t hide because I have to lay down in the dark. The rest of it he doesn’t need to deal with, not with everything else going on. The last thing he needs is to be worrying about me.

I’m doing my best to practice self-care, though it’s hard. So much else HAS to come first, of necessity. But it’s one of the reasons I’m so excited about my EGYM signup (posted about in another thread.) it’s a much quicker and more efficient way to keep my exercise going when I can carve out the time to get there.

I’m sick with worry about Ron and his upcoming treatments and the toll that will take on him physically.
I’m sick with worry that he will make every attempt possible to continue Sheri’s work in spite of his own cancer and treatment, so that she can continue to have money coming in.
I’m sick with worry for Sheri’s boys, 9 and 11 and what will happen to them if we lose her. Their bio dad is a total deadbeat, no one knows where he is. Sheri’s longtime boyfriend is a love, and has stuck with Sheri and taken care of her so well through thick and thin, but at the end of the day they’re not his kids.

The future of both Ron and Sheri is so uncertain, nothing stable, nothing to hold on to, and it’s making me crazy. I’m the planner, the forward-thinker, yet there’s nothing but uncertainty, what ifs, and dreadful scenarios. It’s horrible.
 
Ronni said:
Ron rushed out of here late yesterday afternoon to be with his daughter. She called him, crying so hard he could hardly understand her.

She’s been in testing all week to determine the extent of her cancer, and finally got the news yesterday. Apparently it’s everywhere in her bones. I don’t think it’s in her organs, but I’m not clear on that. She told her Dad it’s even in her skull…not her brain, but the bones of her skull.

I don’t have a lot of details, Ron gave me what he had but a lot is still unclear. I don’t understand why a tech called her instead of the doctor, why she wasn’t presented with various treatment options, why she has to wait the whole weekend to speak to a doctor.

She does have an appointment at the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center on Tuesday so at least there’s that.

I spoke to Ron briefly last night and again this morning. Sheri calmed down once her Dad got there, and his grandsons were so happy to see their Papa, they stuck to him like glue. They ordered pizza and piled up on the couch to watch a movie.

This is just so awful. I feel like Sheri just got handed a death sentence. 😢
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I don't know what the protocol is but, it seems unfair to load Sheri with so much information with no one present to answer her questions or reassure her. It's such a tough situation for you all. I hope the appointment on Tuesday will help clarify things and, fingers crossed, that there may be treatment options. x
 
I spent most of the day yesterday with Sheri at several appointments—oncologist, radiologist, clinical trial doctor.

The cancer is pretty much everywhere in her bones, with heavy clusters in her left hip and femur, lower spine, right rib and right scapula, It’s aggressive. The goal is to treat the cancer, help her bones heal, and then focus on keeping it under control long-term.

The radiologist suggested radiation on two areas, where the pain is worst—her hip and right ribs. The oncologist outlined a couple different protocols along with the radiation, the clinical trial doctor outlined two more that are currently in trials, both of which will almost certainly get FDA approval before the end of the year.

There has also been discussion of removing her ovaries to further decrease the hormone levels that are driving her cancer.

None of the above treatment protocols involve actual chemotherapy for which Sheri is grateful, because the chemo she underwent with the original breast cancer treatment ravaged her. She’s leaning towards one of the clinical trials. It does two things. In layman’s terms it works to encapsulate the cancer cells so they can’t grow any further, while also feeding the new growth of the cancer free bone cells.

Currently she’s still on a walker, she’s lost 15 pounds, and her pain level even with medication hovers between a 4-5, so she’s not doing well. 😟

Survival rates are not great with this kind of cancer metastases. 5-10 years is the average. The goal is usually to control the cancer, slow it down, and maintain quality of life for as long as possible.
 
This is just more bad news on top of already other bad news. I know what Sheri is going through. My sister was in the same situation until January 2025 when she died. She suffered for 9 years. My sister had MG, Leukemia and bone cancer.

I pray that Ron and Sheri both stabilize and recover from their illness.
 
The FDA trial she's considering sounds promising provided it truly works as explained.

I’m dealing by with my own stress-induced physical issues. My BP’s gone up, I’m having PVCs which happens when I’m anxious, and is a precursor to a panic attack. I’m on medication for depression and anxiety related to my sons’s death, and I had frequent panic attacks immediately after. They lessened considerably in the last year an a half, but this added stress has them ramping up again. I’m also getting migraines again.
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Can so relate to the way you react to stress. 🤗 Self care is super hard when mind and body are ramped up to this level.
 
Ronni said:
I’m sick with worry for Sheri’s boys, 9 and 11 and what will happen to them if we lose her. Their bio dad is a total deadbeat, no one knows where he is. Sheri’s longtime boyfriend is a love, and has stuck with Sheri and taken care of her so well through thick and thin, but at the end of the day they’re not his kids.
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Ronni is it possible to find the bio dad? Sometimes people like him step-up when they find out no one else is going to do the job for them. Those boys are his responsibility, but where ever he is, he's probably telling himself their Grandfather is taking care of them and doing a better job than he can do, etc. He should be told everything in no uncertain terms.
 
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