Holiday greetings to everyone! My little sister in England (I posted about
her back in the spring/summer) is battling an infection in her breast. She had radiation treatment in May/June and had severe burns and chafing. She was put on antibiotics in August when they initially diagnosed the infection, but the swelling and soreness hasn't gone away, so the specialist put her back onto them again yesterday and said to come back in three months.
Has anyone else dealt with this?
My concerns are many: she is not getting enough R&R as she is out almost every night partying; she works full-time; she is guiding another good friend through chemo right now, going to all her treatments with her: plus she is a very heavy smoker, at least two packs a day; she has smoked since she was 12. Am I right in thinking that smoking interferes with the healing process? Not to mention all the other health concerns, of course, although her specialist told her there is no proven link between smoking and breast cancer - he was more concerned about her alcohol intake. She was drinking a bottle of white wine every night and he told her to cut down to two drinks per week.
I am seeing her in January when we are going on vacation to lie under a palm tree for a week. I know she will rest then! But for now my questions are: what do you say to a stubborn 44-year old woman which might actually help, and what should we expect with the infection? Many thanks.