cancer timeline

July 2020- I start having pain in my left arm. I request an appt with VA doctor. In the meantime, the VA prescribes a variety of anti-depressants that double as nerve pain counters

September 2020- 6 weeks after requesting the appointment, I finally see doctor,starting months of flailing about for cause of pain..

October 2020- first visit w/ neurologist; they think it is pinched nerves at wrist, elbow, and neck

December 2020- finally begin physical therapy. pain gets worse

January 2021- steroids proves the only thing to bring pain down consistently; lose functionality left arm

May 2021- trigger points become visible on left arm[ a lump on my neck also becomes visible @stevescoins/youve-got-to-be-shtting-me

June 2021- CT scan done

July 2021- MRIs done; VA won't schedule biopsy til August @stevescoins/this-percentandpercenting-blows

September 2021- finally get biopsy results[ its a soft-cell sarcoma, very rare.
@stevescoins/diagnosis-inand-its-not-good
first of many trips to ER for pain
after one such trip to a hospital associated w the outpatient I have been assigned to, they request I check in immediately to the hospital the neurosurgeon works in @stevescoins/the-end-of-the-tunnel.
transferred to another hospital

October 2021- docs decide to do chemo instead of surgery. i dont respond to the chemo well
@stevescoins/rug-pulled-again
@stevescoins/hurry-up-and-wait
@stevescoins/bad-news-piles-up
i get released from hospital, supposedly to finish chemo via VA
@stevescoins/end-of-round-1-cancer-1-ste-ve-1
doc tells me i'll die within a month of no chemo ( later on, I see this is never written into my records)but i'm home for halloween

November 2021- i check in w/VA ASAP. they dont have me scheduled for chemo, and i cant even get in to speak w oncologist for a measely 5 minutes
I start the paperwork for end-of-life care (im not going to die in front of my mom)
my sister says "fuck that", and brings me to Florida; she also searches out for a second opinion

December 2021- Moffitt Cancer Center, https://moffitt.org/, takes up the case.

January 2022- I begin chemo (3 cycles of 1 week in hospital, 2 weeks at home). Again, I respond poorly to treatment, having horrible hallucinations.

February 2022- I complete chemo, being nothing but a puddle of jelly and sick.

Now- I'm still weak, but regaining strength every day. I still have a surgery and radiation to get thru. I may lose the left arm. I'll find out more next week after meeting with the docs.