The hand doctor started a series of interventions designed to try to save the hand as much as possible but said he could not guarantee results. First came a series of hyperbaric chamber treatments. These treatments were outside the hospital and I was transported by ambulance every other day. The treatments were pain free but all that moving in and out of the hospital was stressful, specially because the transport personnel were not as efficient as desired, (once they almost dropped me from the gurney when bringing me down from the ambulance). The days I wasn't been moved for the hand treatment I was moved for the radiation for the cancer. The hospital was not equipped to handle these extra treatments.

Note.- When I was first taken to the hospital my daughter requested to be taken to another hospital closer to our home but the ambulance drivers said the orthopedics in this other one were better. (not knowing the cancer had caused the fracture). I often wonder if I had been taken to the one we wanted (more modern) maybe I would not have suffered my hand injury. Similarly, I've often wondered if I had stayed in Houston, TX where I received excellent health care maybe none of these would have happened, who knows, besides I have to remember "what ifs" are useless to me.

Back to last years events. In addition to the hyperbaric chamber treatments the hand doctor operated on the hand 4 or 5 times. First he cleaned the wound and he told us that my index finger and ring finger would have to be amputated. (In the end only the tips of these fingers were amputated). After some healing time he then did some skin graft. He took a square of about 6x4 inches from my left thigh and covered the wound on the hand with it. The technique he used is so unique that the surgeon did the wound care himself as he didn't trust the hospital nurses to do it.

In the end I stayed in the hospital for 3 and a half months due to the hand injury. On advise of my attorney I did not started any legal recourse until after I was released from the hospital. I left the hospital on November 4th. It felt scary to leave the controlled environment of the hospital. At first, a nurse and two physical therapists came to my house once a week but the treatment I received at home felt sluggish. I had started to walk with the help of a walker while in the hospital and the therapy there was daily and focused. At home without the necessary equipment progress was slow.

So my daughter decided she would start taking me to outpatient therapy and in December I started going to physical therapy twice week;y. Fortunately I was able to get into the local handicap transportation buses that take you door to door to doctors appointments so my daughter did not have to do all that driving. I started regaining my strength and at least at the clinic was able to walk, climb steps and push myself hard. At home was and is another story. I am not motivated to do the home exercises they gave me. After reading in so many other breast cancer stage IV blogs I realize that fatigue is a common symptom, I feel tired all the time and can't sleep at night because of the hot flashes and nightly sweats. As I've read in other patients' cases relatives often take this as laziness on the part of the patient and my daughter is no exception to this.