Oncologist visit

Well - today it was all real.  Walking into the Cancer Centre at Oshawa hospital and seeing cancer patients coming out of the facility - some with head turbans, some with balding heads and eyebrows and lashes missing, and some with hair starting to grow back in made me want to run back to the car.  I do not want to be one of those people!!!

But, I took a deep breath and walked through the doors with my girlfriend Maureen - ready to face whatever is to come my way.

I checked into the Reception and was given a card - this will allow me to check in automatically whenever I am at the hospital for an appointment and anyone who needs to see me will know where I am in the hospital.  It is a great system.

Next getting some bloodwork done - yeah a lady called Pat who knew what she was doing.  I had had some struggles with finding a vein over the last few weeks since the surgery but she found a vein right away and it was done in a flash.  She gave me a good tip for getting the the sticky marks off your skin from the tape - 'extra virgin olive oil'  !!  Who knew!!

Met a lovely lady named Diana, who is the coordinator, and she took my history etc. and we bonded I think.  She will be a lifeline for me I am sure.

There was no waiting to see the doctor - I knew it was going to be a woman and we guessed with the name, (Katherine Shim) she would be Korean.  Well we were right and she confirmed that once we spoke.  She is fairly young and omg so bright.  I felt comfortable right away and she spent a lot of time explaining everything.  She had most of the information from Dr. Cil, the surgeon, except for the pathology report from the most recent surgery.  She had the bone scan info from Monday and there were no surprises with that, thank goodness.  So I guess from looking at all the information she had determined what kind of treatment I would be given.  So I have all of that information, along with booklets and pages of information on side affects of the drugs, and other drug information to counteract the side affects etc.  It was all a bit overwhelming and scary - but bottom line - this is what is required to kill the cancer cells that might still remain in my body.  The cancer is graded as Stage 3 - which is quite advanced, given the size of the tumour - so we have to be aggressive.

She examined me and it looks like I am relatively healthy and ready to take this stuff on.

I liked her and that is important for me to have a good feeling about the doctor.  I believe she is very approachable and that could mean a lot.

So we scheduled the first chemo treatment for November 15th.  It will be one treatment every three weeks for 6 treatments.  Then a month or so rest before starting radiation.  I will have to see the Radiation Oncologist and that meeting has not been set up yet.  I was given prescriptions for drugs that I will need - one the day after each chemo treatment, and others to combat some of the side affects.  The drug that I will need after the treatment is an immune booster and apparently it is very expensive.  I saw the pharmacist and she checked to see if my insurance covered it, which they do, 80% at least, and introduced me to a program called the Victory Patient Support program that will cover the additional 20%.  Something I am grateful for because Maureen asked the cost of 1 shot of this drug and the price is $2,600.00 per shot!!!  Do you believe that!!   Oh and I was also given a prescription for a wig!  So looks like I will be loosing my hair after all.

The Cancer Centre in Oshawa is quite new and everyone I met today were great.  The chemo waiting room is small and more intimate than the general waiting room.  It felt small and intimate and not like a hug inner city hospital.  So I think I made the right choice by suggesting I go to Oshawa for my treatment.

So - I have lots of reading to catch up with - not sure I want to read it all though.  We will see.

That is as much as I can say today.  Hope I haven't bored you all - telling it like it is.

Good night
Jeaninne