kitchen table math, the sequel: Cathy's World

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Cathy's World

In hospital
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12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Joanne Jacobs thought that she was dead as of yesterday:
http://joannejacobs.com/2007/03/21/rest-in-peace/

????

-Mark R.

March 22, 2007 at 7:07 PM
KDeRosa said...

Yes, she died yesterday. There've been many articles.

March 22, 2007 at 9:45 PM
Anonymous said...

There's a great roundup of many of her articles over at National Review. Some are quite funny.

After hearing about this and Elizabeth Edwards, I think I'll go schedule a physical with my doctor.

March 23, 2007 at 5:51 AM
Catherine Johnson said...

yes, I posted the title of her daughter's post, which I thought was beautiful

March 23, 2007 at 6:21 AM
Catherine Johnson said...

Yesterday was hard.

My mom's back in the hospital for Round 2 (infection in the bone); Elizabeth Edwards; then reading this very young daughter's report on her mother's last moments.

I don't like death.

Period.

March 23, 2007 at 6:22 AM
PaulaV said...

Catherine,

So sorry to hear about your mom.

I was upset about Elizabeth Edwards because my 75 year old mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in September. She had radical breast surgery and has made a full recovery. However, with every cold or other sickness my sister and I worry a little.

PaulaV

March 23, 2007 at 8:49 AM
Catherine Johnson said...

I was upset about Elizabeth Edwards because my 75 year old mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in September. She had radical breast surgery and has made a full recovery. However, with every cold or other sickness my sister and I worry a little.

oh boy

facing your parents' mortality is so painful

the photos of the Edwards on the myway report were wrenching

just the look in their eyes

that's fantastic about your mom, though!

actually, that reminds me: I believe that older people survive cancer much better than younger people, right?

I've always been told that cancer grows much more slowly in an older person.

Now that she's made it through surgery, she may be fine.

March 23, 2007 at 9:32 AM
PaulaV said...

My mom truly believes that the radical mastectomy saved her life. I think if she didn't have other health issues I wouldn't be concerned as much. I think you may be right about the cancer growth in older people. My mom's brother has leukemia and it has been in remission for some time now.

Yes, it was painful to watch the press conference yesterday. My heart certainly goes out to the Edwards family. To every family dealing with such a terrible disease as cancer.

PaulaV

March 23, 2007 at 10:05 AM
Anonymous said...

Paula,

We were also told that, statistically, the older a woman is when she gets breast cancer, the better. I hope you get some comfort from that.

My mother had a malignant tumor a few years ago at age 75 after a year of hormone therapy (she stopped that right away). She comes from a pretty cancer heavy family, but she had never shown any sign of it in all her years. Anyway, she did like your mother and she's 81 now with no hint of it. She actually has more trouble with heart stuff than anything else.

March 23, 2007 at 11:09 AM
PaulaV said...

Susan,

Thanks for the information. My mother has some sort of lung disease. Can't pronounce or even spell the name. My father was a smoker so the doc says the disease came from second hand smoke.

My maternal grandmother was 62 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a double mastectomy. She lived to be 94!

I am always amazed at my mother's family. They are so strong.

PaulaV

March 23, 2007 at 11:29 AM
Catherine Johnson said...

My mother had a malignant tumor a few years ago at age 75 after a year of hormone therapy (she stopped that right away). She comes from a pretty cancer heavy family, but she had never shown any sign of it in all her years. Anyway, she did like your mother and she's 81 now with no hint of it.

wow!

Yes, this is what I've always read.

There are also, I believe, lots of different cancers.

I think the consensus at the moment is that mammograms and our various diagnostic technologies probably pick up cancers that are extremely slow-growing and unlikely to be fatal.

The problem is that we don't know how to tell them apart.

(Obviously I don't say this to question anyone's medical treatment!)

March 23, 2007 at 11:42 AM
Anonymous said...

Yeah, I wonder if it was there slow growing and then the hormone therapy just kicked it into high gear.

The mammogram did pick it up, not the doctor. I've heard the opposite if often true, but in my mom's case her doctor had a very difficult time finding it.

March 23, 2007 at 4:09 PM

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