Dr. Sri

Well, here we go! I just got back from meeting with Dr. Gopaluni - known as Dr. Sri (shree). She came across to me as very knowledgeable and also able to dumb down what she has to say. I figure that they have done this long enough and had the same kinds of questions to make up a spiel that answers those FAQs. A couple of times, I felt like she was very young - she sat with her one leg tucked under her and when she got to writing out things for me, she scooted her chair up next to mine and put her folder and paper in her lap with her feet propped up like she was settling in to reading  a good book or sketching on the beach.  I really, really like her. When Dr. Moline explained the 2 oncologists on the North end,  she said "One does not work with BC patients as much, but our one that does is from India and she speaks very fast and may be hard to understand. Well......THANK YOU VIDYA - my neighbor from Snoqualmie who is from India. She prepared me for understanding Dr. Sri with no problems at all. I didn't feel like I had to try hard to understand her.

Now down to business. I have been blithely going along thinking that there is no rush to anything. Yes, all this cancer business will come first, but to take it as it comes and schedule when it all fits in. NOT SO! From my phone conversations this morning to clear up the mess with redoing the MRI I started to get the feeling that all this is to be taken seriously. Dr. S laid it all out to me. The reason she wanted to meet me today and put off the MRI is so the ball can be kept rolling because the next time we meet may be to start treatment which may happen next week. getting ahead........

I have said before that if you have to have a serious illness, cancer is the way to go in that they treat you really well. Everybody so far has been so nice and helpful and double check that I understand. They also do all the legwork - which is really phone work. Just now, I am wondering if everybody gets treated this way, or is it because mine is more aggressive that they are opening up appointments just for me. Monday when I rescheduled the MRI, they were going to open up in the morning on Tuesday for an early appointment, but also found one for today which I decided to take. Now that has been rescheduled for me to tomorrow which I don't think was available on Monday. Also, the scheduler said that she was working to get me in for surgery on Monday - they were having to rearrange things, but if that didn't work, it would be Wednesday ----getting ahead again.

Can you tell that my brain is not settling down on anything? I am jumping all over the place.  First off, The cancer is at stage II and following the MRI and possible PET or CT scan might have to be upgraded to III or higher. The HER2-neu receptor is an agressive cancer and I am also estrogen positive - which is a good thing. They have specific drugs which target those. One thing I have going very much in my favor is my age. Everyone keeps saying "you're young, so that helps a LOT". So no more old jokes coming from me. That is changing the outlook on all sides of this whole thing.

The MRI will answer a lot of questions. One will be how my chemo schedule will be. If I have to have a more aggressive treatment, then I actually have to go in less times. There is the determination of whether the nodes are affected or not. If they are, the treatment will be more drugs (4 instead of 3) given one day 3 weeks apart for 6 cycles = 18 weeks.  If the nodes aren't affected, then I will have a dose of 3 drugs every 3 weeks, with one of those being given once a week the 2 off weeks; for 6 cycles = 18 weeks. So the duration is the same, the side effects are basically the same but the treatment doses are adjusted slightly. The 2 off week 1 drug will not really have the fatigue that the other weeks will - I just go in, receive it and go home. Whereas the major dose days, I am in for half a day and come home and am out of the loop for a couple days.

Plan of attack: get that MRI done! and possible PET or CT scan for some more details needed after MRI. The results from those will determine which treatment schedule I receive. I need to get into a chemo class that they have to educate me/us on what chemo is all about.

I asked Dr. Sri how long after the surgery for the port (and possible nodes), would I need for recovery and then start chemo. She said "Oh, it will be the next day. Sometimes we start that the same day." So the class has to happen this week, I need to go get the anti-nausea prescription to have on hand for whenever I feel so inclined to need it and I need to prep mentally for all this to start. I haven't done the latter and don't know when I can. I have life buzzing around me and I just don't feel like sitting down and making myself take this all in. I just want someone to tell me what to do, all the easiest ways to deal with the physical aspect of this and then get through it so I can leave it all behind.

I don't know what else to write. I am overwhelmed. When Dr. S shook my hand on the way out today, she looked me squarely in the eye and said "You will get through this. Your faith and determination will get you through and that will happen!".  I LIKE HER. I have confidence in her and he abilities. BUT, I also have faith in my Heavenly Father that His will is happening. What will be best for me and my family is what will be the outcome of this whole experience. I know that I will be better and will grow and learn so much through this all that I cannot learn in any other way. I am grateful for all the people who have shared so much with me, have offered their help and prayers for me. I even had a good friend who lives on the other side of the country offer to help me in any way. She saw a need that I would not have thought about. Although we had been speaking of it. I am not a researcher, I am not a great learner (book-type learning), but I do learn hands on and from other's advice. She offered to research for me some things that will help with chemo recovery and survival. Thanks Jen, for thinking outside the box! She made me realize that help doesn't mean watching my kiddos, making dinner or cleaning my toilets. Although I will need that, I will rely on information that others - like Joanne, too - who have been there, or researched it and can pass it on!