Wednesday 12.02.2009 Another 6 Month Check Up

I slept pretty good when I wasn't awake.  I had a frontal headache that got worse, so I took the tylenol/motrin and a claritin in case it really was sinus pressure.  When I woke again and dozed to the radio, I remembered that the radio had come on for a reason.  I got up.

I did feel a bit better.  I had breakfast and a nice shower and left for my appointment with Dr. Williams, the oncologist, after putting a load of clothes into the washing machine.

Lakeeya, or whatever her name is, called me back shortly after I arrived.  First stop, scales.  160.0 pounds.  Up from 156.6 in June.  Ick.  She led me back to room 2 where she took the blood pressure and temperature, which were both good, and reviewed the medication list with me.  She left saying Dr. would be right in.

About 10 minutes later. 

He came barging right in, without knocking, sat down and asked me how I was doing.  I looked him right in the eye and told him it wasn't right to just barge right in without knocking.  In fact it was rude.  Then he said that this is the room that most people startle in, that he usually runs his hand on the door to make a little noise before entering.  I told him he should knock.  Through all of this he was smiling and not being offended at all.  I hope he at least opens the door a little more slowly in the future...

I was surprised at how conversational he was today.  He talked quite a bit, asking questions unrelated to my health status.  I wondered if that was an "interview technique", getting patients to talk about their lives and schedules so that he gets an insight as to how they're doing.  All the while, flipping pages in my chart, writing notes on some pages and just initializing others.

I told him about the hot flashes--still there, but dare I say, a bit less frequent??  (as I sit here flashing while I'm writing this)  He nodded his head, saying that it's been a couple years, and that's kind of how it goes.  (Oh, ok)  He wrote something in the chart.

I mentioned that my cognition (thinking ability and such) seems to have gotten maybe the smallest bit better.  Not good, not all the time, but maybe a little clearer.  He nodded his head again, flipped some pages again and wrote in the chart.

I told him about my joint pains, and especially the left wrist where the tendon feels like it's on fire.  He looked up at me then, and he asked a series of questions about when it's better or worse (morning or night), what helps it feel better (tylenol/motrin).  I told him about a study I had read on Medscape--he nodded his head, saying he's familiar with that site--about the aromatase inhibitors (AI) and joint/tendon pain.  He started talking research and articles and journals and went on.  Hm, I thought.  I got his attention with that.  He rolled over to me on his rolly stool. 

He checked my wrists over, pushing over the inflamed tendon.  He saw it right away and seemed fascinated by it.  And said the tylenol/motrin is ok.  (ok, good)

He flipped pages, wrote stuff down, flipped pages again, and asked me what I thought about the new recommendations about mammograms.  My response is that my cancer was found by me--it made itself known with soreness, redness, and inflammation.  I don't know how many tumors are initially discovered by mammogram alone.  A high percentage, he said.  And I went on, saying "and talking about mammograms....I haven't had one.  I was supposed to schedule for sometime after November 10, but they hurt me.  I mean really hurt.  Hurt enough that I didn't schedule one.  "So there," I said, "I owned it."  He flipped through the pages again.  I told him that "I have dense breast tissue, and when they compress it and I say 'ok' the technician says it's not enough and compresses more.  It feels like something's getting crushed or torn in there.  And my woundbeds are still sore, sore enough that I don't want them mashed again.  At least right now."  He was flipping pages and asked if I'd had an MRI.  I told him yes, in November of 2007, as part of my initial diagnostics. 

He was very kind in saying that the mammograms are difficult with dense tissue, and an MRI can be used as a diagnostic tool, and offered that option to me.  I accepted that option, pleasantly surprised at his response.

We (he) talked a bit more--that Amy (Bolmer--the initial oncologist who saw me through chemo and left to take care of her parents) was doing well, and updated me a little about her.  He went on with some other things--as I said, he was quite chatty today--finally saying that when I check out I can make an appointment for 6 months.  Oh, I said, I haven't graduated to a one year interval yet??  He was flipping through the pages again, and I reminded him that initial surgery was November 2007, he got real serious.  "No, not yet.  6 months."  Oh.  Ok.  "We'll review the MRI, and before that visit we'll do another CT Scan and Bone Scan, too, as well as another blood workup."  Oh. Ok. 

I stood and gathered my things, and then he really surprised me.  He hugged me. 

Hm.  I don't know what that was about, but I hugged him back, and thanked him for his time.  We stepped into the hallway, and he swooshed into another room.

I went to the check out desk, where Anna took my paper.  We talked about the MRI and the next appointment in six months while she called to schedule the test.  Between the three of us--me, her, and the person on the phone--we came up with January 4 at 0915.  And she'll call me at another time to schedule the next 6 month appointment, and someone else will call from Ingham to schedule the CT and Bone scans.  I wrote a check for the co-pay, added the appointment in my planner, thanked Anna, and left. 

Whew.  Overall, a good visit. 

On the way to the car, Phyllis, one of my chemo nurses, was going out to lunch, and we walked together a couple of rows.  She said I looked good, "robust", and it was good to see me better.  I thanked her, smiling.  "It's good to feel better."  We went on our way.

Next stop, Meijer, which was just down the road.

Not the store I usually go to, it's laid out a little differently.  I ended up being in the store over an hour.  But I got the things on my list and headed home.

I unloaded the car, put groceries away, and had lunch. It was close to 3:30 by now; Daniel will be coming home soon.  I wanted to get to the storage unit before dinner, so I went over there.

I found the items I wanted and started loading them into the car.  Another woman came in and pulled up behind me.  We made a couple trips together, and I was just about finished when she started talking to me. 

I think my "talk to me" light was on today.  This woman talked to me like a long lost friend.  I had even said a couple of times that I had to get back.  I did ask her if she had heard of the location of the collection for the "gently used" coat donations.  I was ready to have someone else have Mom's fluffy blue-gray winter coat.  Charmond (that was her name) said that she didn't know right here, but her mom does something with the Community Closet or whatever she called it with her church, and she'd be glad to take it.  Um, Ok.  Great.  So, she took Elaine's winter coat to help keep someone else warm this winter.  And because I was trying to leave, I closed my unit door, asked if I could help her for a couple minutes, and to  my surprise she said yes.  So I did. 

She was almost done.  I made a couple trips to her vehicle and I left.

Dan was home when I got there, kind of snoozing.  He came down and took up a load, but some things needed to stay downstairs (for the PARTY), so I thanked him and brought the things in, and brought upstairs from that what I wanted upstairs.

Then I fixed supper.  We ate, yummy, and I tried to stay organized and on track for this weekend.  I think I'm doing good so far.  Dan has gone off to bed.

I wrote here, pausing every now and then to jot a note on my list.

Tomorrow I see Leah in the morning, then in the afternoon I have another meeting in Jackson.

The FedEx Tracking system shows that the karaoke machine is on the way.  Almost as fun as watching Santa's sleigh on the radar on Christmas Eve...

Thank you for reading.  Hugs.