We approach the front desk and the gal says "Hi Luann" I joke back "Guess when you know my name that means I am a regular..and this is not exactly the place you want to be known as a regular hey?" She smiles back and hands me the routine paper work. I am all prayed up so I know this visit is going to go well.
We sat down and immediately an older man begins to tell us about his Colon cancer that occurred a year after his wife died. He continued to say in a matter of fact voice. "Yes I really didn't know why I was going through the chemo without her and I really thought about committing suicide. Have you ever thought of committing suicide?" the man asked "No with eyes wide open I replied." He said well I thought about all the ways suicide is committed and then realized there are too many things that could go wrong and it would be my luck I would end up like a vegetable so I decided against it." I said well I believe everyone has a purpose in life and that also means you.
"Luann Chevalier come on back." We proceed to the "Purple Room which was all too familiar to me. Mary the lab tech also knows me by name and takes the routine blood and tells me to sit back down. We are finally invited back to the Doctors office only to wait about an hour.
Gary and I got tired of killing time waiting for the doc so I jokingly said "Hey lets get a picture of my last Chemo in the doctors office. Gary took me up on it and snapped this picture. Can you believe this was the same room I began my journey over 5 mos ago? Now how ironic is that?
Knock, Knock, Knock "Come in" I replied as I thought well now who could that be, DA!" In comes the doc. He looks at the platelet report which revealed and my platelet count was 42. He and I do a double take. "That can't be, last week it was 41" I piped in. He precedes to tell me that I had a blood transfusion, no I corrected him it was a platelet transfusion. (Now my confidence in him is souring through the sky) He opens the door and quickly asks for a retest of the blood work which shows no change. Finally he says "I think you are a little "sensitive" to the carboplatnam." I thought A little sensitive? How about a lot sensitive! He continues "It has been over a month since your last chemo and we still can't treat you.
How about if we "skip" Chemo 6. I calmly replied "Well you won't hear any argument from me" and inside I was doing the happy dance.
However, there's that word "However" we need to continue on the Herceptin and talk about starting Radiation and then there will be drugs after that. Yes I hear you. As I am a research nut, I had a question about this Herceptin. "Doc can't that cause heart damage?" Well...he replied. I continued "You know Doc I have been on this for oh about 5 mos and I believe we don't have a baseline of my heart and I think we are suppose to have it." "That is not possible we always get this done before we begin any treatment" as he intensely scans the computer to prove this was done as I silently roll my eyes looking at Gary I shake my head "No I don't think so Doc. Maybe I am wrong but" defeated he says "So it looks like we didn't get a baseline, so we will have to get this done." I calmly reply "Doc, no more herceptin until I have this baseline." He agrees.
A quick exam and we are happily ready to leave but not before we had several more appointments set up...Oh the life of a Cancer Patient!
So the lesson in the story? God knows just how much we can take and promises we will not be given more than we can handle. This was just the provision I gratefully needed to keep running the race! Luann
To Be continued....A visit to the "Dutches".
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