Happy April!
For some reason I managed to not be involved in -- or even hear anything about -- an April Fool's joke on Friday. I had a quiet day plowing though some projects at work... the only full day of work uninterrupted by a medical-related appointment or phone call since all of this began. When I got up from my desk for the regular 3pm cuppa Joe, I had to smile at the normalcy of it all.
Things did move along at a steady clip all week, though. I had an appointment with Dr. David Mintzer of Penn Medicine on Wednesday as a second-opinion oncologist and liked him so much that I switched doctors on the spot. I went to him on the recommendation of an oncologist at Sloan Kettering who has written about the tendency to overtreat early-stage breast cancer patients, and who said Dr. Mintzer was his mentor. I figured if there was a chance chemo really wasn't right for me, this would be the doctor who would tell me that.
I went in completely on edge. I was surprised at how nervous I was. I guess I was already prepared mentally for taking the chemo road and was concerned he might give me that totally different opinion and then I'd have a difficult decision to make. But, his opinion was essentially the same as that of the fist oncologist and his reasoning and explanations were far less fear-inducing and alarmist. I know this won't be easy, but now I really do feel like I can manage it and have at least *some* control over my life during chemotherapy. His manner, his office staff and the homey setting were all so much more comfortable to me, and his slightly different approach to the treatment suited me better, so I made the switch.
I also met with my surgeon for the last time until after chemo. She looked over her "work of art" and gave me the all-clear to do whatever I want to, so that's fantastic! I went to swim practice this morning, which was kind of a struggle with a still-weak right arm & chest/shoulder muscles, but at least I know it's not hurting anything. Putting up with the frustration and working through it will make me stronger more quickly than taking it easy would and I like having this small thing to be able to track progress with.
Next week the appointments & phone calls continue... the highlight being Friday at the Nuclear Medicine department of Bryn Mawr Hospital. I am scheduled to be injected with more radioactive stuff, this time to light up my skeleton for a bone scan. I will request a picture to put on the window at Halloween. The bone scan will rule out any signs of bone metastases, which would totally change my treatment.
Up next:
Monday or Tuesday - PCP appointment for referrals
Thursday - Nutritionist
Friday - Bone scan followed by wig appointment
On April 19th we arrive home from Boston and treatment begins on the 20th.
Have a great week!
Diane
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