Gloria had always had medical issues, and problems, but they were generally unpleasant, and painful, rather than life-threatening. She frequently said, "My body has never been my friend." She suffered from IBS-C (Irritable Bowel Syndrome of constipation type). She had suffered with this since childhood. Her father did not understand, and thought it was stubbornness on Gloria's part in her inability to produce a bowel movement.
She also suffered from a hiatus hernia. For most of her life she felt that this was simply limited to gastric reflux, and pain, on occasion, when lying down, which sometimes meant that she could not go to bed. Eventually, as noted, the diaphragm opened sufficiently that it became a major medical issue, requiring surgery. The surgeon, at the time, noted that her diaphragm with paper thin. This was rather odd, given Gloria's status as a soloist, and, as one choir director put it, a coloratura soprano, which normally requires a great deal of strength in the abdominal muscles, and in the diaphragm as well.
Gloria suffered from arthritis and joint pain. She suffered lower back pain. She suffered misalignment of her hips, and frequently had recourse to a chiropractor. (On one occasion, when we were both in the car, and were rear-ended by another driver, Gloria went immediately to the chiropractor, and stayed in alignment for an unprecedented period of more than a year. Rather ironic, given the circumstances.)
Again, somewhat ironically, given her career as a soloist, whenever Gloria got a cold, it went immediately to her chest. Her lungs would get congested, and it would usually take quite a while to clear up.
Gloria had fibroids, and, eventually, a prolapsed uterus. Requiring a hysterectomy.
Because of the arthritis, and other joint issues, Gloria was placed on a very strong anti-arthritis medication. This resulted in bleeding in her gastrointestinal system, which was undiagnosed for many years, and resulted in extremely low iron levels in her blood. (The iron deficiency was so sever that it did not respond to oral supplements, or even office intravenous iron infusions. When Gloria finally went in for chemo, we were well familiar with the chemo centre, since we had spent many sessions, and hours, in there getting extensive iron infusions.) This, in terms of her total energy levels, was probably not helped by an undiagnosed problem with her thyroid, which was only discovered when she was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. No one ever did determine what the problem with your thyroid was, although they did determine that it was not a malignant tumor.
Following the multiple surgeries to deal with her diaphragm, Gloria was on a considerable number of medications. Some had to be taken with food; some could not be taken with food. Some could not be taken with each other. It was extremely difficult to figure out a schedule of all the medications, and when they needed to be taken. Different types of medications needed to be taken at some time distance from each other. As noted, some needed to be taken with meals, and therefore meal timing had to be quite rigorous. This determined our meal times, and medication times, and even the timing of other events, during the last decade of Gloria's life. Therefore it determined much of my life, as well, and may explain the complete breakdown of any idea of schedule, and even appointments, for me, once Gloria died.
As well as noting that her body was never her friend, Gloria frequently stated that she wanted her Resurrection body, and she wanted it *right now!* Well, now she finally has it. Although I miss Gloria terribly, I could never wish her alive again, and in the difficulties that she always suffered. The one definitive piece of medical diagnosis that I was able to obtain during Gloria's final stay in hospital was a report, by an oncologist, noting that, if Gloria survived that stay in hospital, her remaining life would be short, unpleasant, and painful. I cannot regret that Gloria died when she did.
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Introduction and ToC: https://fibrecookery.blogspot.com/2023/10/mgg-introduction.html
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