Robin Loses Her Eyesight - 11/14/05

Robin has now lost her sight in the right eye. You may recall that she lost her vision in her left eye on September 11th, so she is effectively blind as of November 12th. Although there is no direct proof, the sudden onset of bleeding inside her eyes is believed to be a secondary effect of the chemo after-effects combined with Robin's diabetes. We saw her Ophthalmologist on Monday (November 14th), and he said that we must give the right eye time to clear some of the blood before he can continue laser surgery to reduce the chance of recurrence. Her left eye was looking better, but is still too cloudy for the laser procedure. He hopes to be able to start on the left eye in two weeks if enough of the blood is gone. The upshot is that Robin's vision SHOULD clear over the next couple of months (if there is no more bleeding), but she will be effectively blind for a while.

Besides the loss of eyesight, the rash that she experienced after the third Chemo came back last week after her final Chemo (received on Tuesday, November 1st). In addition, she developed swelling and blisters on her feet (on the sides and the back of her foot), even though she was not wearing shoes that rubbed her feet. The rash and blisters are believed to be direct effect of the chemo. She saw her oncologist on Friday (November 11th) and was prescribed steroids for the rash, antibiotics for the broken blisters, and anti-inflammatory drugs for the swelling.

Robin should be having a CT Scan done this week or next to see if they can see any Cancer. Then she will start radiation therapy for six weeks, five days a week.

Thanks again for your kind thoughts and prayers. Special thanks to the Choir of St. Frances Cabrini. Gloria Blancas made a beautiful satin and velvet pillow for Robin with a chiffon bow attached, and the whole Choir wrote little notes and signed a card which Gloria delivered to Robin on Sunday. Of course, Robin couldn't see it, but she could feel the various textures of the fabrics and see some color with the left eye. The card contained a beautiful poem explaining the choices of fabrics and colors to remind her of the love of God, of her family in Christ at St. Frances, and of all her family and friends around the world. It was a big boost to Robin, who was really feeling bad on Sunday.

If you are interested, Robin could really use your support now, as her spirit has been very low from the blindness. This was a big blow to her normally positive outlook. She was feeling really good last week because Chemo was finished, then, "WHAM!" First the rash and blisters, then the blindness! If you can spare the time, you might want to send her a card with a personal note of encouragement to cheer her up (I can read it to her). (The address is 10511 Sagevale Lane, Houston, TX 77089).

Thanks again for your love and support,
Larry & Robin