So, I met with my oncologist yesterday for the first time yesterday. I really like the guy... He's warm, reassuring and didn't talk down to me. He ordered a battery of tests (no surprise there) which we are waiting for insurance to approve, and will be scheduled for next week. Our first step will be a PET scan ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positron_emission_tomography ) which will be used to figure out what stage of cancer I have. I will also have to have both heart and lung function tests to ensure that I am ok for chemotherapy, as it tends to damage those organs. Tuesday morning I will be having a surgical procedure to place a port in my chest, that can be accessed to draw blood and deliver chemo without having to constantly treat me like a pin cushion or burn up all of the veins in my arms. The following Monday (April 7th) I am scheduled for my new patient chemotherapy orientation, which will be an hour session telling me what to expect. I will be starting chemo that week. Somewhere in between I am being referred to a fertility specialist, as chemo tends to have a negative effect on fertility, and my doctor would like me to discuss options there, just in case. Seems like things are so many things to get together in a short amount of time, but I am glad that the long wait times seem to be over, and we can get down to the business of sending Bob packing.
When I was waiting for my diagnosis, I spent a lot of time on Dr. Google, and read a lot about people's experiences with Hodgkin's. I was scared to death of one of the diagnostic tests that they mentioned -- the bone marrow biopsy. Essentially, this test is performed while you're awake, laying face down on a table, while a doctor numbs you, then goes deeper and numbs you further, then does it again until they can reach the bone, then they take and essentially core out a piece of your bone to get at the marrow, so that they can tell if the cancer has gotten to the bone marrow. Sounds awesome, right? Well, while talking to my oncologist yesterday, I asked about that test, and he said that I will NOT have to have it done! Essentially the treatment wouldn't change if it did reach the bone marrow, as chemo will reach it there as well, so the only reason I'd have to have a bone marrow biopsy would be if I needed a bone marrow transplant. Woo hoo, good news!
I got a mini tour of the facility where I will be spending quite a bit of my time over the next few months having chemo. My doctor also mentioned that there were FOUR other women, all right around the same age as me, that all have Hodgkin's now and are going through treatment. So, I may be making some new friends.
I think that's it for now. I will update next week as the testing goes along. Now, who wants to come keep me company for my chemo?
Yay for making friends who are going through the same thing as you!
ReplyDelete