SCANning the horizon

At first I started this whole 'journey' with the attitude of  "There is no rush as there won't be anything to find, and it will be over quickly". Then one day in speaking with one of the many people working on my case (ie: doctor, scheduler or nurse), I got the frantic attitude of "Wow, things are serious and moving along and need to get done." After Dr. Moline told my mom that this is an emotional emergency vs. a medical emergency, I have been able to adjust my attitude to "OK, I want to get things done, but I am not going to put my life on hold." 

I do have the luxury of not being on a schedule set by outside influences. We have had a pretty unscheduled summer - we have gone back to Snoqualmie a few times for some fun stuff that happened back there. Jeff has been busy with work, but we have taken some time for family things. I won't say it's been a boring summer, but it has definitely not been full of going from this activity to that all summer long.

My dad was going to come here today to bring our car and then take Mother home depending on what my treatment schedule was looking like. I kind of got frustrated last week that I have not been told when my treatments will start. I need to know things. At one point I was told they might start as early as the day after the port was put in. But then we have to take into account insurance authorizing each little step along the way. It took a while for the doctors to fight to get the PET-PEM scan, but that was not successful. So the next step was to authorize 3 other scans and then schedule them. I had the body CT scan on Friday. They were able to use the port for the IV injection. That was interesting. There is some numbing cream that I need to put on the area of skin on top of the port. By the time I get to the office, it will be nice and numb. The nurse will then be able to insert the needle of the IV hook-up right into the port which is under the skin. 

Yesterday, I was realizing that with what the doctor said about timing and that I have my other 2 scans scheduled for Monday (bone scan) and Tuesday (Brain MRI), I kind of am in charge of the rest of my week. So the girls and I are going to Snoqualmie with Mother Tuesday-the weekend. My reasoning is that the doctor has to read all the scans when they are in which won't be until Tuesday afternoon at the earliest. So then I have to make an appointment with her to plan out my treatment schedule, I probably won't hear from them until Wednesday at the earliest to schedule that appointment. By that time, I will be able to tell them I am available anytime the following week for that and for starting chemo. 

I am still feeling pretty good. Getting this port put in has been a big step in the progress towards the goal to get chemo started. It makes it all a little more real. At the CT scan the other day, I went in to the office just off the waiting room. In there are a bunch of hats, scarves, wigs, brochures and cookbooks and the like that are available free of charge to anyone who needs them. I found a few hats. I may go back in for a different style hair wig - I think Joanne's is just the same color as what I have and very similar cut to what I normally do. We shall see what I come up with feeling comfortable doing. There are tons of resources for patients such as myself. I took a couple days recovering from the port surgery. I keep getting the feeling of heartburn in my shoulder. It is just a pain, not really shoulder-bone pain, but just a pain. It does feel better, the 'wounds' healing up nicely. Other than that I am sleeping well, feeling well and feel like I have a pretty good out-look about the whole thing. I am going to up date my post about "The Little Things" with gifts and things I am getting - so I have them all in one place.