17/07/2025
Here we are folks...the dream we all dream of..another medical update. 👀💜
https://www.gofundme.com/f/dr-funkenberry-cancer-battle-continues
Has it really been over 2 weeks since my last medical update? It feels shorter and shows how hard these are to write for me. I do apologize however.
So my foot is still in a cast although we switched to a thicker one earlier this week and it is more constraining so it is making it harder to move around to just my knee scooter or to get to the bathroom, living room, kitchen, or the bedroom. The cast is to try to heal the wound on my foot which the cancer and the chemotherapy did a number on the wound, creating a cyst and a wound that was about 5 centimeters deep at one point. It wouldn't get past the 2 centimeter mark as was discovered most likely that sepsis possibly caused, was a bone infection stopping it from closing. The bone infection surgery was in February and after the stitches came out, the wound was around the 1.5 centimeter mark. Right now, it is about 1 centimeter but it will not close depth wise. It will get close to closing on the outside but when doing debridement and removing callus, the skin around the wound has so much scar tissue from years of this issue and multiple surgeries, the skin is super thin, so it cuts open. We don't really want the outside area to close before the wound depth closes because then there will be a hollow area there.
So that's the reason for the cast as we enter the 3rd week of doing this. The wound is still at 1 centimeter although there has been less callus. I saw a different foot doctor yesterday, the one that performed the bone infection surgery and that I have been seeing since 2017, with the casting doctor I've been seeing since the middle of last year, only a few months since my cancer diagnosis and completely messing everything up. I ask each doctor what I can do on my end to help this situation and they say nothing really can be done on my end, unless I can learn how to levitate. The wound being right on the heel of my foot and me being flat footed just puts all the pressure there, although not so much when in the cast. Yesterday's doctor did recommend a different liquid than the one I was using to help heal wounds faster. I am willing to try that obviously, although it isn't covered by insurance (Shocker) and runs just under $200.00 for the cheapest that comes in a pack of 6 and would have to take 3 times a day.
I will be seeing a different doctor the first week of August and that is an orthopedic doctor I was seeing from 2013-2016 and has had so many advances when it comes to foot surgeries. So this will be my 3rd set of eyes on it and I am still wanting to get to the Mayo clinic for their eyes to see it. Kaiser and it seems most foot doctors in California do not perform stem cell procedures, mostly done overseas, but perhaps the mayo clinic does that. I have discussed a hyperbaric oxygen chamber (No Michael Jackson jokes) and they do not think that will work on the wound due to placement.
There have been discussions that if I am not cancer free when I have the tests in September/October and if I have to go back on chemo, the wound can get progressively worse and if that happens, they could be considering amputation. I absolutely detest that talk for so many reasons. That this is not related to my diabetes but because of having a bum flat foot that should have been taken care of as a kid, I am in this position. To work so hard to keep my diabetes under control and have people joke with me that I eat like an old person or I do not eat enough, that all my sacrifices would be for naught.
Home health care will be increased to 3 times a week as sometimes it will be 3-4 days between visits and having the wound packed, it isn't healthy to keep the same pack in there when you are trying to close the wound. Home health care in the past month has been really hit and miss and different people each time so you are not getting the same eyes on it or consistency and as we all know in life, consistency is key to a lot of things to go well. Good consistency that is.
I should be having the cast removed next Friday on the 25th for about a week or so. I will be meeting with my primary and oncologist on the 28th to schedule my colonoscopy. Since it will be hitting the year mark of my cancer surgery, even though I am not cleared of cancer, it is important to have the colonoscopy at that time to see what is going on that does not show on the last CT scans.
On the 27th this month, we are still having a fundraiser for me here in L.A. and has been organized by Danielle Gaskins with help from Jill Monroe. It is appreciated and needed. If I provide the link here, GFM flags it, so I can't help, but look for it on my socials or ask.
So this isn't news I want to report on and with me being less mobile and with now another expense of medicine not covered in the $100's for each order, here we are. I am extremely grateful and thankful for each donation made and it being shared. It means a lot. Someone donated 2 weeks ago and just saw my update for the first time so not everyone knows.
Also I know there are still people out there I haven't reached out to since the beginning and for those that understand, thank you for that. For those that are taking it personally, please don't. It isn't about you at all. This was told to me last night that people are taking it personally. Even this update takes a lot out of me and then when I do contact people, they want to talk about what's going on with me. I do these updates to keep everyone updated and have the questions to a minimum. I know you all care and I so, so, so, appreciate it. If I do reach out, I would want to talk about other things...except for the Superman movie because I haven't seen it yet and also I don't want to talk about Love Island not because I haven't seen it...I just don't watch that stuff! lol.
Thanks to the people helping me with my social media and helping posts by me be seen again that aren't just medical updates and help make sure the L.A. Fundraiser info gets out there.
I appreciate all of you tremendously and I so look forward to writing more positive updates and I do try to make the updates more frequent yet when I do not have good news to report, it is harder yet I try. I cannot stress enough how much this means to me and all of you mean to me. It makes me feel less alone each day although 99% of the time, that is what I am. Thank you so much for your continued support and love. Also... funk cancer!
