FINALLY more info (and action)
Posted by David Poncelow Fri, 13 Oct 2006 09:02:00 GMT
Yesterday I met with my new oncologist and got a bunch of info and a plan for action- there’s a lot that’s going to be going on in the next week. I just got back from a CT scan this morning where they took pictures of my chest and liver. I’ve got another followup appointment with my surgeon in an hour and a half or so where we will also discuss putting my port in (I’ll explain that in a bit) on wednesday and then a bone scan at 11:30. I have another test on Tuesday- a MUGGA (sp?) test which is a baseline on my heart function. Then Thursday is the first chemo treatment.
I’ll be receiving chemo for about 16 weeks, getting a treatment every other week (so it’s a ‘compressed’ schedule). The first four are one set of medicines, the nastier apparently. Another set will cover the remainder. When I’m done with the chemo the other treatments start- I’ll get radiation, though I’m not sure of the length or schedule. I’ll get the Herceptin for about a year, and then the hormone therapy for around five.
This is all the very surface of all the info I got yesterday- I haven’t really gotten to sit down, make notes, and distill it all. I should have a chance to do that this afternoon and then I’ll write again with more details with the port, the medicines, and what I’ve got ahead. I just wanted to get a little bit out as soon as I could!
Matt also got in safe last night- apparently he got spun around a bit in the airport trying to get on the right highway (most of the signs are for I-5, and it’s a bit hard to get to our place from there), but after that it was all OK. I missed Martin last weekend however- it turns out he was spending his time in Tacoma and a couple days on the Olympic Peninsula, so still quite a ways away.
It’s going to be a busy week next week- particularly since I’m also driven to get a scuba dive in before all of this starts up as I won’t be able to go during chemo. It feels good to have direction and movement in all of this- the last couple weeks of not knowing anything have been a bit difficult.