Appointments & more appointments

This week Monday, I met with an oncologist, Dr. Delmastro for the first time.  He was very kind and patient with us as we had A LOT of questions.  I am thankful that Jon's sister was able to come to this appointment and help ask some good questions as well as take notes.  She has been an invaluable resource to us.  We talked with the doctor for about 3 hours, and it was definitely information overload.  We came away from the appointment feeling good about using him as my oncologist, as well as with a basic idea of a treatment plan.   It was determined that I was probably a stage 3a, but that I would need a PET/CT scan the next day to add more clarity and complete staging.  The plan included chemo first (a drug called AC (Adriamycin & Cytoxan) for 8 weeks, followed by Taxol for another 8 weeks).  I will be given these drugs, once every two weeks, which is called a dose dense chemo - which is the most aggressive option.  After chemo I will have surgery, which will then be followed by radiation.  It was decided that I should start as soon as possible, either later this week or the beginning of next, depending on the PET scan results.

Tuesday morning I had the PET/CT scan, followed by an echocardiogram to get a baseline reading of my heart (a potential side effect of chemo can be damage to heart, so they monitor that closely).  Dr. Delmastro called me himself Tuesday afternoon about 4:00.  He had the results of the PET scan.  The good news is that the cancer had not spread to another region of my body (which would have meant stage 4), the bad news was that it had spread to another lymph node system, called the internal mammary chain.  This set of lymph nodes is deeper within the chest, underneath the ribs/sternum, so harder to reach.  This effectively stages my cancer at stage 3c.  Dr. Delmastro encouraged me to get a second opinion at this point, because this news may change our treatment plan...whether that would involve a more complex surgery, or a different type of radiation.  I told him that we had had an appointment set up at Mayo-Rochester for a second opinion, which we had decided to cancel because we felt so comfortable with his original plan and using him as my oncologist.  I wasn't sure if Jon had already made the call to cancel that appointment at this point, so he told me to check with Jon and if it had been cancelled to call and get the appointment back if at all possible.  I'll be honest, this phone call shook me up quite a bit.  I think mentally I was ready to move forward with a treatment plan, and then to hear this news was a pretty big setback.  I called Jon, and we still had the appointment for Rochester, so I was relieved at that.

Wednesday I went into the lab to get a blood draw at noon.  At about 12:30, Dr. Delmastro's office called and said they were able to get me in to see an oncologist at Mayo-Eau Claire (Dr. Basu) at 4:00.  So we did some quick phone calls and our family stepped in to care for the kids and we were able to make this appointment.  Dr. Basu's opinion was that we could proceed with the original treatment plan, but it would include a more targeted radiation to this internal mammary chain.  He said surgery of this area is not an option, because it is too difficult to reach, and the risk would outweigh the benefit.  He did say we should keep our Rochester appointment, if we wanted to consult with a few more specialists.  He also encouraged starting chemo as soon as possible.

Thursday morning (today) Dr. Delmastro's office called to see when I would like to start my first chemo appointment.  We decided on Monday, so that I will hopefully have my worst days right after chemo during the middle of the week while the girls are gone at school.  Dr. Basu also called me back and said he had consulted with another oncologist at Mayo-Rochester and he agreed with the plan of treatment.  It is reassuring to have several doctors agreeing on the same plan :)  We still have our appointment schedule for Rochester for next Thursday.  We have a few more appointments in the next few days that will determine whether we feel this appointment is necessary or not.

Tomorrow (Friday) I have an MRI scheduled for 7:45 (this should give a better image of the internal mammary chain lymph nodes that are deeper in the chest) followed by an appointment with the radiation doctor at Marshfield clinic.

After that, I plan to have a fun and normal weekend with the kids :)  I feel like Monday will be the start of my new "normal" and do feel afraid that I will never feel the same again.

I have been reminded throughout this week to look for things to be thankful for, and there are so many:
-the timing of my appointments (being able to get in so quickly!) has definitely been miraculous
-I have an amazing support network of friends and family in this area.  I am getting lots of texts and email messages which is so encouraging and we feel so loved.
-We have had family and friends calling anyone they know in the medical field, looking for ways to help us.
-My family is amazing, period.
-All of the doctors/nurses/staff that I have seen so far have all been so kind and encouraging.  They seem to really want to know me as a person - not just as a cancer patient.
-People have already been showering me with meals, I have not had to cook all week!  Even though I am still feeling fine for now, this is a huge blessing because with all of the extra appointments and spending half of the day on the phone, I would not have had time to cook.
-There are so many other small moments where God is showing up.  He is ever present.

The verse that I has been coming to mind a lot this week is Psalm 36:18
This God-- his way is perfect; the word of the Lord proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him.

Wow, if you have read this far, you deserve an award.  Sorry for the long boring posts, I am mostly just trying to record this so I remember what these first few weeks were like.  Starting next week, there will be a lot less information to absorb, I hope :)