One thing I never would have been prepared for in getting a cancer diagnosis is the whirlwind of doctor appointments & tests that immediately begin. You almost don't even have time to let your diagnosis sink in. And now that I am signed up to do the trial at UCI, everything needs to be conducted at UCI. Yep, that means any tests I had previously done through Saddleback Memorial now need to be done at UCI. We actually don't mind this though, because they are doing more thorough tests. They are definitely giving us a better picture of my cancer & how best to treat it. Knowledge is power!
So here's what has happened at UCI so far:
May 4th-(morning) I have an MRI. It wasn't too bad. Hopefully we get the results tomorrow.
(late morning) We meet with Dr. Zell who will be my oncologist. We really like him. He seems very smart & very knowledgeable about the most current cancer treatments. He has also been involved in numerous clinical trials & has published many things about rectal cancer. He spends a long time with us going over the clinical trial, the chemo process & answering any of our questions. The chemo given in conjunction with radiation will be started in a fanny pack that I will wear M-F, giving me the weekends off. Radiation is also done M-F. The chemo only portion will also be given through a fanny pack, but I will only wear it for 2 days & it will be started every other week for a total duration of 12 weeks. We also got a tour of the infusion center. I have to say, it was a little depressing. There were so many people of all ages getting chemotherapy. It really makes you realize that no one is immune to cancer, anyone can get it.
I should mention that we also meet Vanessa who is the clinical trial coordinator. She is about to become our new best friend. She is so nice & helpful. She is the one answering a lot of questions for us, helping us fight with insurance in getting the trial approved & she is getting me in for appointments very quickly. We love her!
(afternoon) We meet with Dr. Farol who will be my radiation oncologist at UCI. We really like her too. She is very nice & sweet. She explains the process of radiation. She will actually be administering radiation a bit differently than Dr. Young had planned. Dr. Farol says that since my tumor is so low in my rectum that she is going to do a type of radiation (I can't remember what it's called right now) that pinpoints the tumor & will hopefully spare a lot of the organs around it. We are happy to hear that. She also goes over the possible side effects of radiation...yeah, I didn't need a reminder of those.
May 5th-We have a follow-up appointment with Dr. Pigazzi. He has the MRI results for us & it's good news-they are down staging me from a T3 to a T2! The cancer isn't quite as invasive as previously thought. We are grateful to hear this! He also says that the MRI did show a few very small localized lymph nodes involved, but not to worry about those because they will be treated during the radiation as well. Everything is moving along, we just need the official approval from our insurance.
May 9th-We get news that our insurance has approved the clinical trial! What a relief!
May 10th-I have a CT scan & get some blood work done at UCI. Both were quick & easy. We also had to go to Saddleback Memorial in the morning & get my biopsy slides to take with us over to UCI. They want to run their own pathology on my biopsy, per the rules of the clinical trial.
May 18th-I go back to Dr. Farol's office & have my initial scans so they can get started on the radiation planning. They say that the planning will take about a week & then I go in for a dry run. After that I will start treatment. So it looks like treatment will start Monday, May 30th. Dr. Zell also called a couple of days ago to say that I will be receiving the chemo pills. You take 5 pills in the morning & then 5 pills in the evening. I guess the trial doesn't approve of using the chemo pack for 5 days & weekends off, I would have to wear the chemo pack for 7 days straight. This would mean being hooked up to it for 5-1/2 weeks straight, not being able to shower or anything. I'm a little nervous about this because, although it's definitely more convenient to take the pills, I've been told the side effects can be more severe. So wish me luck!
I'm starting to feel like I need to prepare for battle. I feel like I need to get my house in order. Like I need to get things ready for the girls to finish out the school year. Like I need to stock up on food & supplies. And that I need to try to get ready mentally for what I'm about to go through. I know that the first 5-1/2 weeks of treatment (plus longer for recovery time) are going to be brutal. But there is no other option. So I will be brave & I will be strong & I will get through this!
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