The Unfolding

 Monday, August 31

Optometrist for prescription change but still having difficulty with vision.

Nancy's hand coming into her peripheral vision is startling her.

Friday, September 11-13

Nancy to Janell's for the weekend

Tuesday, September 15

Nancy picks up Hans in Milwaukee and has a late night drive home with a headache.

Friday, September 19-20

Nancy drives to Oshkosh to help Judy.

Thursday, October 1

Optometrist gives a different prescription but it doesn't seem to help

Stress building with continuing vision problem, COVID mask fogging glasses, Judy's illness.

Friday, October 9-11

Women's retreat with Carloyn

Monday, October 12

Headache and dizzy at school so Nancy called Ken to pick up and drove home slow.

Thursday, October 15-18

I drove to Oshkosh to help take care of Judy over the weekend.

"Driving to Judy's, my car began veering to the right. I tried to correct, but the car kept veering off. Looking down, I saw my left hand was holding the door handle, not the steering wheel. What is going on?!"

Driving back from Judy's, Nancy ran a red light.

Monday, October 19

Nancy tried to drive to school, but found she could not drive safely. "My arms felt weirdly heavy". She turned around and carefully drove back home and called in sick.

Monday, October 19 - First Call

Virtual doctor appointment results in diagnosis of stress and two weeks off work.

Nancy feels it's no longer safe for her to drive.

Ken drove Nancy to Plymouth to get her new glasses.

Friday, October 23-25

Andrew and kids here

Monday, November 2 - Second Call

Virtual doctor appointment results in more time off for stress.

Thursday, November 5

Hauling branches at Hans's, Nancy is tripping and running into trees.

Ken drove Nancy to pick up Chromebook from CGBHS.

Friday, November 6-15

Ken drove Nancy to Oshkosh so she could help care for Judy. Seeing deficits increasing, Nancy was trying to evaluate her body every day. She decided to see if she could still run. She sat down to put on and tie her shoes, but as she finished, she saw her left shoe was tied but not on her foot. She did go running, making it to the fire hydrant and back. All week she was dropping things, she fell out of bed, she was running into doorways, her left elbow was tipping plates on the table.

Sunday, November 15

Ken picked up Nancy in Oshkosh.

Monday, November 16 - Third Call

Virtual doctor appointment with Dana resulting diagnosis is stress and prescription for SSRI

Thursday, November 19

Both to HGR to work on gates. Ken was watching Nancy closely. Nancy was walking very slow, with full left side deficits. This can't be just stress.

Saturday. November 21

Tim came over while Ken was at HGR telling Tim don't leave Nancy alone.

Monday, November 23 - Fourth Call

Ken asked Nancy to call the doctor and received neurology referral for December 4

Tuesday, November 24

At Mark in Brookfield and drove home in rain, dark, lights, Nancy nausea and bad headache, left side deficits worse.

Wednesday, November 25 - Fifth Call

10:15 AM - I called Froedtert Milwaukee to see neurologist now. 

10:45 AM - I drove Nancy to the Emergency Room at Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee.

11:45 AM - Admitted to the ER. After going through a few evaluations, one neurologists seemed to agree with the previous stress diagnosis, however, I disagreed and explained I wanted scans taken. An MRI with contrast was taken.

6:27 PM - We learned Nancy had a significant brain lesion in the right frontal parietal lobe and were shown some of the slides from the MRI. This diagnosis explains her increasing left side proprioception deficits. The tumor was tentatively diagnosed as a grade 4 glioblastoma multiform tumor, and it is terminal. Shocked by the finding, we both realized we are at the apex of a very significant, life-changing event. Next, a CT scan of the torso was done and several minor lesions were found in lungs and liver. Nancy was then admitted inpatient to Neurology ICU for observation.

Monday, November 30

7:30 AM - IMRI brain surgery with Dr Wade Mueller and team to remove as much of the tumor as possible.

2:10 PM - Tim and I met with Dr Mueller. The surgery went "very well". The lab confirms the tumor as a grade 3 or 4 astrocytoma, and it is cancerous. We will know more about the astrocytoma once the pathology reports are complete, but for now, we understand the dysfunctions are the result of damage the cancer is causing to this area of her brain. The deficits will increase over time, if left unchecked. The chemotherapy and radiation treatments, then, are administered to help slow - and hopefully stop - the deficits and the cancer's progress.

4:00 PM - Nancy is out of surgery and moved to recovery.

5:29 PM - I see Nancy in recovery, sitting up and talking almost non-stop. The nursing staff are all enjoying her comments and chuckling. It was great to see and hear her!

Thursday, December 3

2:00 PM - Released from Froedtert Hospital to go home.

Recent Photos

Dec 13, 2020 - Tim, Matt and Malorie come over for a visit and a walk down to the beach.

Dec 13, 2020 - Yup, a little goofy sometimes!