It is very good news. Marjorie doesn't have to have chemo and doesn't have to see the oncologist for another 2 years! She still has to take Femera though.

After the surgery Marjorie went to a retirement complex for respite for 4 days and loved every minute of it well except for the bed.

She came to my house for 2 weeks and then one morning I got up and she was gone. I didn't know what happened, she wasn't answering her phone. Even her friend from out of town couldn't reach her and she couldn't understand why Marjorie would just leave without saying good-bye. The next day I was finally able to reach her and I asked her why she left so abruptly. She said she was getting too comfortable with me taking care of her and cooking all her meals that she thought she better leave before she didn't want to go. I told her not to worry about that, I wasn't going to let her stay forever. LOLOL

Her surgeon removed the bandages after 1 week so she didn't need the community nurse to come in and change her dressing. The doctors originally told her she wouldn't heal very well because of the radiation damage from 20 years ago but she was healing nicely. The nurse told Marjorie the surgeon she had did a really good job and she was lucky she had him.

The only problem now is Marjorie's blood sugar is high. For the last few years she was borderline diabetic. She was given a test kit but never would test her blood. Before surgery her blood sugar was 10 - after surgery it was a bit higher. When she went into the respite place the nurse tested her blood and it was 25 and they made Marjorie go to the ER which Marjorie did but after waiting 2 hours she left. Her blood sugar was testing high until she left the respite place.

When she got to my house I asked her the amounts of carbs she was allowed at each meal because I know she was given the amounts after she was first diagnozed. She said she didn't know. I asked about her blood testing kit and she said it was at home. When I found out she wasn't testing her blood I wasn't too happy. I told her maybe her blood sugar has been extremely high all along but she wouldn't have known that because she wasn't testing.

I also told her she needed to keep testing because that when my Mom first started showing signs of having something wrong with her other than Alzheimer's Disease that is when the Doctor at the ER said her blood sugar was 28. They couldn't control it so they did further testing and found that she had pancreatic cancer. I told Marjorie she had to test for this reason. To make sure the high blood sugar wasn't caused by the cancer having spread to the pancreas.

I made Marjorie go home and get her papers with the amount of carbs and exchanges she was allowed and then I started to make her meals accordingly. She went to the family Doctor and he said she had to come into the blood clinic for blood testing 10 times so she has been almost going every other day. He also told Marjorie she had to start testing her blood at home which thankfully she has been doing. The first time she did it was right after she ate and I told her that was not a good time. She needed to do it before she ate so she would know what she can or cannot have.

I have been trying to teach her about the diabetic diet and the exchanges and to use the Canada Food Guide for diabetics. I told her she can eat just about everything as long as she used the exchanges within her mealtime and snack limits. So after getting her on track and with her testing her blood her blood sugar has come back down within the 9-10 range. One day it was 7.5! 9-10 is sitll high but at least it wasn't 25. The doctor put her on a pill until he sees ther results of the 10 blood tests.

LOL I also made Marjorie go for a walk with me which she wasn't too happy about. LOL I told her she needed to get some exercise to keep her blood sugars lower. Now at home she has told me she is going up and down 2 floors using the stairwell in her apartment building. LOL I don't know whether to believe her or not.

Now that Marjorie has the results she can go away for a few weeks. She postponed a visit to her friend after she found out she had breast cancer.

I have a question though. Is it normal not to have other scans done to make sure the cancer hadn't spread? Marjorie might have had this cancer for a few years - the tumour was huge so surgeon said. The patient that was in the bed next to Marjorie in the hospital was a Doctor and he said that he always sends his women patients who have pacemakes for ultrasounds on their breasts because the tumour can hide behind the pacemaker and not be felt or picked up during a mammogram. I was just wondering.

I want to thank you and so does Marjorie for the prayers and good thoughts.

Anne