June 2006 - what were the first symptoms?

It seems odd now, but at the time we didn't make *any* connection between Robin's ongoing stomach problems (ala Montreal) and the events of that week in June. In fact, in the summer of 2006 we would continue to see one doctor for the stomach upset, and we would see another series of doctors trying to figure out what was causing her facial pain.

It wasn't until about December of 2006 when I had time to reflect back that it would become clear to me what the link was. For me, December would be the time of "what-if's". When things were going terribly wrong and the inevitable was happening. At some point in everyone's journey they think back and wonder "What went wrong?", "Did I do everything I could?", "If I had it to do again would I have done anything differently?", "Could I have done anything more quickly?".

By December I had learned more than I ever wanted to know about cancer, about radiation therapy, about chemotherapy, about facial reconstructive surgery, about pain meds, about anti-nausea medication, about antibiotics, about hospitals, about healthcare insurance, about hospitals, about nurses, about doctors, about the "art and science of healthcare".

Also by December I had learned that blood ingested into your stomach makes you nauseous.

By December I had realized that the headache and nosebleed were not the first symptoms. The bleeding from her sinus had likely begun weeks earlier. That's why none of the treatments for her stomach symptoms had any effect. It wasn't gastric juices causing her abdominal discomfort; it had been blood draining from her sinus.

The first time blood came out of her nose just happened to be the week she had the headache. By the time I connected things in December 2006 it was simply a historical fact of note. It didn't seem worthy of mentioning to Robin, she had enough to deal with by then. By then we were technically "beyond" a cure.