Saying goodbye to Donna Gregory
Written by fellow HealthTalk blogger, Sue Falkner Wood
Life is often a struggle. Many of us who live with daily health problems know this all too well. All of us who share our stories and our lives here at HealthTalk.com do so in order to enrich our own lives and the lives of others. The vast majority of us write about our own problems with a few exceptions. One of those exceptions was a courageous outgoing and sunny-faced young woman named Donna Gregory. She wrote about her husband’s illness and its effect on both of them, as a young couple and as parents to their 4-year-old twins, Bobby and Amanda. Donna shared he...
Source: Life with CLL - August 14, 2008 Category: Cancer Authors: Donna Gregory Tags: cancer Source Type: blogs
Lichen planus and immune suppressants
We finally had our appointment with the oral pathologist at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. It went better than I expected.
The doctor believes that my husband, Bob, is no more at risk for oral cancer than he would be from any other type of cancer. He also told us that the lichen planus on Bob’s tongue might be related to the immune suppressants Bob has been taking. He has been taking those suppressants ever since he had a stem cell transplant three years ago. Basically the doctor said there is no treatment for lichen planus; they just give you a topical gel to try to relieve the occasional discomfort. The doct...
Source: Life with CLL - September 26, 2007 Category: Cancer Authors: Donna Gregory Tags: cancer Source Type: blogs
When is it appropriate to disclose an illness to new friends?
Lately I have been making new friends through local mothers’ groups. Yesterday, my children and I went on a play date at one of the other mother’s house. The conversation at one point centered on trips to the emergency room with children. One mother had to have a fish hook removed from her daughter’s back after her daughter poorly attempted to cast a fishing pole. The other mother told a story about her toddler son who hit his head on the kitchen counter – under his father’s care of course. He needed stitches on his forehead and was seen by a plastic surgeon. As I listened to these stories I ...
Source: Life with CLL - September 18, 2007 Category: Cancer Authors: Donna Gregory Tags: cancer Source Type: blogs
If you could choose whether you or your spouse had cancer
Who would you choose?
Cancer is hard. But if I had to choose who got sick, me or my husband, I would definitely say my husband – not for the physical selfish reasons but because I don’t think he has the patience to deal with or rather is able to handle all of the day to day things that I do.
If I were the one sick, the children would for certain be in day care because my husband has told me in the past that he couldn’t stay home with the twins all day. Our son is very active and needs a lot of attention and my husband doesn’t have the patience to deal with it. If I were sick with cancer, I don’...
Source: Life with CLL - September 11, 2007 Category: Cancer Authors: Donna Gregory Tags: cancer Source Type: blogs
One diagnosis can lead to a lot of doctors
I know I have been lax in writing, and I want to apologize for that. It was a quiet summer for us, and we have been spending a lot of time with the twins. They are now 3-years-old, it is hard to believe it; where does the time go?
Bob had his six-month checkup for his CLL two weeks ago. This most recent checkup has thrown me back into the hectic and frustrating chore of scheduling more doctor appointments. The doctors don’t warn you about that chore or “side effect” before surgery.
We are now dealing with another unusual health issue. Bob’s tongue has always had a white coating on it. Originally, we...
Source: Life with CLL - September 7, 2007 Category: Cancer Authors: Donna Gregory Tags: cancer Source Type: blogs
Family planning, fertility and CLL
As I read comments to my blog, I see many people are being diagnosed with CLL younger and younger, and doctors are starting treatment sooner and sooner. Family planning is a major issue, and I wanted to share my experience with you.
Luckily, no one questioned why we went ahead and had children. We never really talked about having kids and when we did it was postponed for the usual reasons: We need a bigger house, we just bought the house, you just started a new job, we need more money in the bank, etc. Then Bob was diagnosed so we felt like this was it – now or never.
We tried for a year unsuccessfully, and I was ver...
Source: Life with CLL - June 22, 2007 Category: Cancer Authors: Donna Gregory Tags: cancer Source Type: blogs
Summertime news
We are been very busy here with normal summer activities. My mom is visiting from Florida and will be staying until this Friday. This past weekend, Grandma and I took the children to visit my brother in upstate New York. I think Bob really enjoyed having two days to himself. He never was one to relax, but getting a break from the kids really seemed to help his attitude. He had much more patience with Bobby after the short break. And on Father’s Day, they spent the entire afternoon together, working in the garage.
This weekend, we are off to Vermont for a high school graduation and to visit with friends. We will be st...
Source: Life with CLL - June 19, 2007 Category: Cancer Authors: Donna Gregory Tags: cancer Source Type: blogs
What would you like to know about?
Things here have been very quiet, and I’m running out of topics to blog about, so I want to ask you, the readers, what you would like to read about. Do you have anything on your mind you want to talk about?
I have gotten some great questions in my comments, and I would be willing to write a more in-depth response if you would like. I will be checking back. Let me know what you would like to know about!
-Donna (Source: Life with CLL)
Source: Life with CLL - June 12, 2007 Category: Cancer Authors: Donna Gregory Tags: cancer Source Type: blogs
On the road to normalcy
Back before Bob was diagnosed with CLL, he was a very active person. He always had a project going. One of his favorite things to do was rebuild cars. Right now, we own a restored VW Thing and a WW II Army Jeep. Both of these vehicles were in total states of disrepair when they were brought home. The VW was pulled from the woods next to the owner’s house, and the Jeep was brought home on a trailer with a lot of pieces in boxes. These project cars were a labor of love. The Jeep was actually finished during Bob’s transplant recovery. He was able to order parts online and work alone in his barn. It was a great dis...
Source: Life with CLL - June 5, 2007 Category: Cancer Authors: Donna Gregory Tags: cancer Source Type: blogs
Feeling the heat
We had a wonderful day Friday with the twins. We took them to a local game farm and petting zoo. Bob was feeling good, though it has been getting hot here lately, and it seems since the transplant he is intolerant to both the heat and the cold. After three hours, he was done, so we packed up and went to a restaurant for dinner. We went to a Japanese place where they fix the food right at your table. The children were great, but, unfortunately, they did not like the food. They did enjoy watching it prepared, so it wasn’t a total loss.
I hope everyone enjoyed their Memorial Day.
-Donna (Source: Life with CLL)
Source: Life with CLL - May 29, 2007 Category: Cancer Authors: Donna Gregory Tags: cancer Source Type: blogs
