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Friday, December 30, 2005

One Month Radiation Follow-up

One month already! I can't believe it. Yes, I finished radiation one month ago now. The time has passed so quickly.

My appointment today was with Dr. Young, the first radiation oncologist I ever saw. It was good to see him again. He is very good at what he does and very good at answering all questions. We were able to chat for about an hour and reminisce on our first meeting. He told me that he really felt for me at that time because I was obviously unprepared to hear that radiation would be recommended for me and it sounded like I had already been through a tough battle to get good care. He was right on both counts. I had had a tough battle and switched doctors several times and the diagnosis on radiation was truly a shock. I cried when I got home after the first meeting with him. That meeting left him unsettled also, so unsettled in fact that his concern about my youth and the size and extent of my cancer prompted him to immediately go and discuss it with his colleague, Dr. Lisa Boohar, the wonderful radiation oncologist that finally sent me over the edge into deciding I would do radiation. Dr. Young also said that he couldn't understand how my cancer could have become so widespread and advanced without previous diagnosis. His relief that I chose radiation was obvious. We continued to discuss my journey and the doctors I had seen up until now, sharing opinions as we went. His opinions mostly mirrored mine and for the same reasons. Some things he said were off the record and not to be repeated in a public forum such as this but they will go into my private journal. Basically, he confirmed that my early treatment and surgery had been mishandled. He is the first doctor to actually say it aloud, although I have seen it in many of the other doctor's faces. He also read me the letter he had written to Kaiser regarding my diagnosis and said he had received a call from a certain Oncologist there telling him that they thought he was overreacting and shouldn't have come across to me with such a strong opinion! At that point, he could understand my confusion even better and felt strongly that Kaiser had only referred me to cover their------ and that the Oncologist(s) he spoke to did not support the radiation. I agreed with one exception. Dr. Kutner, my surgeon, who I trust the most had recommended that I speak with a radiation oncologist. He was glad to hear that. I felt very good after speaking with him and left with high spirits. However, once more, I do keep in mind that it is important to research and question every step of this process in order to make informed decisions and find the best care givers (Doctors, Nurses, NPs, etc) to help me make a successful journey and permanently overcome this disease.

And, oh yes, Dr. Young told me that my skin is doing very well and there is no sign of recurrence. He also said there is a possibility that I may be able to have reconstruction sooner and was happy that Dr. Milliken is my plastic surgeon. woo hoo! I am so excited. Hopefully, I can have the reconstruction sooner and get on with this and alleviate the stress of wondering where the next house payment is coming from. I was also happy to hear Dr. Young's praise of Dr. Milliken and felt better about my choice of him as plastic surgeon. All around, a good morning.

My next follow-up is on April 24 with either Dr. Young or Dr. Boohar. Originally, I was scheduled for April 28th but it is just before Dr. Young's April 29th wedding. I said, "oh come on. why don't I just go to the wedding? You will have time to see me there, won't you?" He laughed. Since Dr. Young is no longer at the hospital I took my radiation (El Camino and Sequoia share resources), I will move over to the other hospital for my follow-ups. Drs. DY and LB are the best! :)

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