Strange Notations From a Laborious Life

Back in April, Linda started to complain about some pain she was feeling in her ribs. It obviously was of some concern-any sort of pain is-but she had been doing some work at an archives office and had been lifting boxes and we put it down to some strain from her efforts. Unfortunately her pain continued to get worse.

She had also attended “laughing yoga”, a strange sort of show where you supposedly relax by forcing yourself to laugh (!?) Hmmm. Not my cup of tea but we also thought Linda may have strained her ribs in her all out efforts to belch out a laugh. Anyone who knows her will appreciate the sort of effort she surely put in!

Alas, her pain continued, down her back, into her legs to a point were she was practically an invalid. Alarm bells were starting to sound in the back of my mind. Unfortunately her regular doctor was on leave and his fill in was of no use to her at all, simply prescribing more powerful medications in an effort to control her increasing pain. Instead, it just caused her to be ill. There had to be an underlying cause. Rest and pain killers were not helping and she was getting worse not better.

A regular screening for cancer in May came back all clear which was a relief. Linda suffered serious breast cancer in 2014 and beat it-but there is always the worry it will return. However, her Osteopath was not convinced. There was something amiss and she suggested Linda ask for her scan to be re-evaluated.

Then a few weeks back Linda needed to see her oncologist, a regular appointment to check on her progress post-cancer. Her symptoms immediately alarmed the registrar. Another scan was ordered and Linda marched off to find out if there was more to her problem than we had hoped.

Unfortunately we received the worst possible news. Linda has secondary bone cancer-most likely metastasized from her breast cancer of 7 years ago-and the prognosis isn’t good. The cancer has spread through her body and she has lesions all over her bones. To say we are shocked and devastated is an understatement.

We had been in the process of planning our future. Mapping out a process by which we might retire early. We were setting aside money for travel. A European river cruise was on the agenda and Linda has always wanted to see the Ord river in Western Australia. Today, all those plans lie in the dust, our happy little life torpedoed amidships.

We are not sure what the future holds. Linda has to have a bone biopsy and return to the oncologist to find out the worst. There is an uncertain inevitability about our lives all of a sudden.

I am not sure why this happens to good people. A woman who lights up a room when she walks into it, melts people with her luminous smile and makes them feel comfortable with her generosity of spirit and warm personality deserves better. Unfortunately, as Will Munny states in the movie Unforgiven, “deserve got nothing to do with it!”

So, what now? There is nothing much to do other than get Linda treated and live every day to the best of our ability. I have given up work to care for her as best I can and we plan to do the best with what time we have left together.

Onwards and upwards. There is no time to lose!