12/30/2020

Before I continue tonight, I want to get something off my chest.  Wait a minute - that was a poor choice of words.  Oh, well, you know what I mean.  When I was at MD Anderson on Monday, one of the doctors I saw was an Internist.  He introduced himself and was very pleasant, however, he said he was a Geriatric Internist.  Get that?!?  My brain was flipping inside out - wondering why a Geriatric Internist was seeing me.  After a fraction of a second, it dawned on me.  I'm old.  The visit went downhill from there.  "Women your age.... yada, yada, yada", was all I heard.  Geez. 

Ok, I have some news tonight.  Both David and I had the first COVID vaccination today.  We'll get the second one in 4 weeks.  My Oncologist at MD Anderson told me to get it if I could.  Two hours of sitting at Harvey Hall in Tyler, waiting for our turn, then led like cattle to a slaughter.  It was weird.  

I saw a local Oncologist today and she will be taking care of me up here, when necessary.  I'm going to have chemo up here for 5 months after my surgery and need someone local.  It was creepy walking into the Hope Cancer Center by myself.  That's where I took Susan for years.  I never imagined I would someday be in the same place.  I'm having surgery the morning of January 7th.  I will spend one night in the hospital.  David will not be allowed in the facility at all.  He will drop me off and pick me up the next day.  I'm going to have a segmental mastectomy along with removal of my lymph nodes.  I've learned there is no need for a total mastectomy because I'm having chemo and then radiation.  Taking more off will not improve my odds against recurrence.  In fact, recurrence of breast cancer is not much of a concern for them.  I was told that finding cancer in another part of my body is the issue since it's in my lymph nodes.  They'll have to keep an eye on me, in other words.  Recovery will be much shorter and it'll be a much easier surgery.  10-14 day recovery and then I'll be good to go.  We are leaving Sunday and hauling the RV down to Houston.  David found a nice RV park that's only 15 minutes from the hospital, so I will recover there.  He won't have to sit in the car any longer - he can go back to the RV while I'm at appointments.  We're not sure at this point when we will come home.  More appointments on my calendar are inevitable and I already have 1/2 dozen of them scheduled after the surgery.

Comments

  1. KCJanuary 4, 2021 at 7:34 AM

    Will be thinking of you, we aren't that old.....KC

    ReplyDelete

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