Hello Family and friends,
Today started with another donation to the vampire at the friendly VA Laboratory. Seems that my liver and kidneys are of some importance to the Dr.s. I got right into my Oncology Dr.s appointment today. Kind of funny though, turns out that they actually thought I was somebody else!! lol I sure enough had an appointment at this time today, however, so did another Veteran with a name spelled so closely to mine that I was mistaken for him. Maybe only because it was me that went into the Nurse station before I went into the Doc office. So, I guess it had all the makings of a real Halloween trick and not a treat. But, soon it was laughed off and then onto the bussiness of health.
Sue and I asked the Doc questions that pertain to his area of expertise. I had 5 topics that contained questions. Three topics were for him and the other two topics are more specific for a Surgent and someone that offers clinical trails for my type of cancer. Those questions and many that overlap will be asked of the Doctor that I meet at the Boston VA next Tuesday.
I learned today that, there is still an outside chance that I can have surgery. If I do have surgery, I will need a 4 to 6 week period of time to heal enough from the surgery before any other treatments will start. However, it is clear and I understand that my largest tumor, the one that has attacked my heart, can not completely be removed. At best, some of it will still remain and the lesser tumors may or may not be able to be removed from my chest cavity either. The idea of surgery sounds good on the surface, but, there are many risks involved and since it's mainly an attempt to buy me some time, it may not be practical for me not just because of the health issue but because the time it buys may be no better than just treatments alone. So, as it stands next Tuesday is the next big hope that I have. Not all of the questions could be answered today about treatment, chemo or radiation. However, I learned that my tumor is to big for the type of radiation treatment that uses "seeds" or "pellets". And I was pleased to hear how far the radiation process has come in rescent years. If I do recieve radiation I will most likely get it 5 days a week and have the weekends off. The machine that delivers radiation can actually measure your chest as it breathes and as your heart pumps and adjust the measurements of the impact of the radiation. This helps to ensure that healthy tissue near the cancer will survive the doses of radiation that is in my case very close to parts that I might want to use later. lol
We talked about timelines and what could be hoped for, again it seems that I need to wait until all the blood, scans, test and reports are in from the Vermont VA hospital and the Boston VA Hospital with all the different doctors notes and recommendations, and that's not going to be before the Nov 4th visit to the Vermont VA.
Then, I still won't know the plan untill I see the next Doctor, that's who will acually give the treatments that has been decided on. Of course, I will also have to wait and see if the VT VA will allow me to get that done at the local Hospital like I have asked for. And that decission is made in yet another department in the VA system. I think I heard the Doc say something about December of 2012, NO, not really. But it will take 3 or more weeks for the first of treatments if there is no surgery. I guess that's why they gave me 120 pain pills. lol
As I mentioned in an earlier message, I plan to type the answers within the Word Document that has all the questions and also plan tp bring that to my Boston and again to the next VT VA appointment and update that same document and bring it to the (??) I forgot what you call the people that give the radiation or chemo treatments. lol There is just way to many new words to learn and I'm not a good speller either. Sound it out, they told me as a kid, ya right, that bit of instruction still haven't caught on for me. You know, the whole "i" before "e" accept after "c" kind of thing. I knew then that didn't work for "either" but all that got me was the corner and a hat that sort of grew on me. lol
I guess schooling never ends.
I have some more chewing to do on this weeks lessons
Till next time
Sam aka chappy