What's really going on with radiation

I always want to be honest in my communication, but we all know the line between the stages of honest, painfully honest, awkward and none yo bizness.  Actually, maybe we don't all know those lines, but we probably should.

I've been pretty quiet on here about what's going on with Anne-Marie's radiation treatments for two reasons.

1.  Facebook: most people that really want to know are already friends with me on Facebook.  In my particular circle of friends there are only a few exceptions.  We usually give very short updates once or twice a week on there.

2.  It hasn't been good news...

So, here's what happened.  Anne-Marie did three days of radiation that went perfectly smooth.  On the fourth day, February 1, she was getting her extended heat therapy treatment (written about here) when something went wrong and she got horribly burned.  This probably had something to do with the combination of heat and an adhesive to which Anne-Marie is allergic.  We're still not quite sure.  We do know that she is still not quite healed over a month later and that--no--we're not going to sue.

A week after "the incident", Elisha broke out in a rash all over his body.  We think this is a carryover from a health problem he had in Ethiopia.  We didn't think it would develop into something serious, but his condition has become just as consuming and even more urgent than Anne-Marie's.  The doctors, insurance and his frustrated parents are currently in a weeks-long tussle over how to treat it.  Right now, he daily gets a special shampoo and prescription.  Poor Elisha has only left the house four times in the last month, including going to the doctor. 

Anne-Marie still goes in daily for the radiation treatments through at least March 15.  Even though she's been off of the heat treatments since February 1, she is still having problems with burns and some weird shooting nerve pain that I guess people on radiation get sometimes.  She's also begun dealing with lymphadema, for which she will go to the therapist beginning at the end of the month.

That's the scoop.  The good news is that we believe that the most difficult part of this is over with and are looking forward to two weeks from now when we can put this part of the process behind us.  The whole mess has reminded me of how much I love my family and how much it hurts to see them hurt.

More news to come, I'm sure.  I'll try to actually post something when it happens.