The Appointment

Thank God the appointment is over…..just getting there is the worst part. Don’t get me wrong, I love my oncologist. He is young, intelligent, compassionate, and understanding, he is what I would want all doctors to be. I call him “doctor cute”.

Ok, so for what happened.... He asked me how I was feeling, I told him “good” as far as the cancer is concerned. I ask that he re-check my neck to see what he thought about the knot and if it had changed any from 3 months ago. He examined me all over and is sure it’s a damaged vein with scar tissue, so I shall dismiss that from my worries. What I most like about him, is his reassurance. I think I get the same lecture every time I go…….”you are tarzan, you are strong, you are doing great, there will be a vine to grab if you need it” I love hearing that over and over again. I NEED to hear that over and over again.

Then I told him about my back problems and ask about a possible upcoming MRI to compare it to the one I had two years ago when I was diagnosed with osteo-arthritis, spinal stenosis, bone spurs, two bulging disc’s and a pinched nerve. Whew! And I wonder why my back aches? Yes, there’s so much more to it, the muscle aches with the fibromyliga, the burning when I walk, the pain that makes me have to stop and limits my activities. It’s a little hard to get on with life when I can not be as active as I’d like.

So dr. cute explained scans to me. He said the problem with them is that each type of scan gives better or worse information and all problems cannot be found with just one type of scan. I didn’t know, but MRI’s do not put out radiation like the ct and pet scans do. He said it would be ok to have the MRI if the back dr. orders it, and he encouraged me to make the appointment with the orthopedic surgeon again. As it turns out, dr. cute set me up for a pet scan in January. I also found out today that I will not have to have another bone marrow biopsy unless symptoms should appear such as a change in my blood counts, new node growth, or other little signs.

And then it was over! He hugged me bye and told me Merry Christmas since it will be next year before I see him again……. I walked outside, took a deep breath, came home and climbed back in my tree. Wow.