Wow, I had no idea the extent of your wife's illnesses. She got a triple whammy. I'm Type II diabetic...but still only take oral meds after my original diagnosis the end of the 90's. Type I is tough. I will keep her in my prayers.
My youngest son, then 48, now 54, was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in 2019. They did two resections on him via laparoscopic surgery. Took out a bunch of lymph nodes too. He went through six months of chemo and has been cancer free so far. While he was on chemo, he ended up with bronchitis, and a blood clot in his lung. The one side effect of the chemo that's stayed with him is severe neuropathy of his feet.
Last summer, he started having episodes of congestive heart failure and a-fib which I took him to the ER for. Last November he ended up in the ER with an internal hernia and blockage. They had to open him up completely, do a resection to get to the hernia to repair it. He was in the hospital for about 3 weeks. What compounded the problem was that he began having a-fib again. It started in ICU after his surgery. He also had problems with the area they had opened. Kept getting little infections in various spots. That finally went away.
The end of last year he was referred to a hospital in Rochester, NY and was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy...a genetic disease that thickens the heart muscle. He's been on special medications since then. He ended up in the hospital again early June this year with a-fib again. They shocked his heart. So far, so good. He's still getting scans for the cancer, and he'll be seeing a cardiologist and taking heart meds for the rest of his life.
My sister is 67 now. She has been seeing a cardiologist. My mom had congestive heart failure and a-fib. My sister is concerned that she will follow the same path. Her call was to inquire what type of aortic aneurysm I have. My two are abdominal aortic aneurysms. The major one is in the supraceliac position and inoperable. Her doctor says that thoracic aortic aneurysms tend to be genetic. I can't do anything about mine beyond being careful and not aggravating it with high carb foods.
None of us gets out of this engagement alive. Just be thankful for each day and careful not to hasten the exit.