16 years fighting breast cancer takes its toll, but Gainesville couple perseveres – Gainesville Times

At first, he wasnt that involved.She was pretty strong, healthy and still working, Richard said.Until she went into remission, she drove herself to appointments, he said. The only thing I went to was (appointments) when she had surgeries and the occasional conference with doctors.Overall, we got into a routine and I was like, This is no big thing, Richard said.There were some early insurance issues, however.Shortly after Jorene had a port implanted for chemotherapy, a change in medical insurers was made at his workplace. The new insurance company was going out of network with Northeast Georgia Health System.We lost the use of her oncologist, he said.The doctor referred the Pilchers to a doctor at Northside Hospital Forsyth, where his new insurance was accepted. They started making the long trips.Eventually, Richards insurance was accepted at NGHS, but by that time, Jorene liked the new doctor, facility and the attitude there, he said. She got accustomed to it and developed a level of trust.Richard added: We didnt know then that it was going to be 10 years of driving back and forth to Cumming no telling how many thousands of miles we put on the car.She was treated for five years before going into remission for six years.The first sign of cancers return was weakness in her right arm. Soon she found she couldnt push the button to release the parking brake on the car, Richard said.A doctors visit revealed cancer in a nerve bundle in her right shoulder.Jorene gradually lost complete use of her right arm. She stopped driving 4-5 years ago and turned in her drivers license about a year ago.She cant move it, but she can certainly feel the pain, and its constant, severe pain, Richard said. Shes on a pain program now thats helped a little bit, not a lot.Jorene had taken a quarterly injection in her shoulder to help the pain, but it only got worse.So, she quit that (regimen), Richard said. Now, shes using an opioid patch she changes once a week, and thats helped.Another issue has been that one of her cancer drugs came with a lot of warnings about heart problems, and Jorene fell victim as if the cancer wasnt enough.I suffered heart failure and a mild heart attack in 2013, she said in a 2017 interview.She began a cardio-oncology program at Northeast Georgia Medical Center, as the Pilchers insurance was in network, at that point.We combine state-of-the-art cardiac imaging with best practices for early diagnosis, prevention and treatment of heart problems associated with cancer therapy to improve the quality of life for cancer survivors, said Jorenes cardiologist, Dr. Abhishek Gaur, in 2017.Recently, she went to the hospitals Ronnie Green Heart Center for an echocardiogram, accompanied by Richard.Jorene said she would be in a nursing home without his help.I cant live by myself, she said before the Heart Center visit. I do what I can, but (Richard) does almost everything.Otherwise, I have my good days and my bad days.It was another appointment in a string of doctor visits, and its been an emotional rollercoaster.About the time of her previous oncologists death, Jorene had decided enough was enough, Richard said.She was going to stop doing chemo, which made her sick all the time, and going to doctors. She decided shed rather not be nauseated, which was just about 24 hours a day, enjoy life for a little while and go ahead and die, he said.She was ready to go.At one point, the cancer spread to her brain, but a gamma knife treatment a type of radiation that attacks cancer with extreme precision worked like a charm, Richard said.It got rid of the cancer, but it has to be checked quarterly, he said.The ordeal has left Richard with at least two strong pieces of advice to pass on to others.Dont try to do Medicare without getting supplemental insurance, he said.Because of the fuller coverage, cancer care has not been a financial burden, particularly.

Also, if youve got a suspicion (about cancer), take off and go dont wait, he said. The oncologist will work you in. They dont want you to wait either.

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16 years fighting breast cancer takes its toll, but Gainesville couple perseveres - Gainesville Times