it was all medical all day long. first up- two hours in the basement of the hospital. radiation oncology is always in the basement...grey, no windows and awful lighting. the kind of place they bring your body after you're gone...
i forgot my book, and phones don't work in those nether regions, so i ended up reading a magazine i would've never chosen...i browsed through it twice hoping to find something that sparked my interest...
the first doctor came in after about an hour. she reviewed my case last night...she asked a lot of questions, tapped on my spine, did a neurological exam, pulled my elbows, (which hurt my neck), and then stepped out. it was a tag team kind of thing because that's when my specialist came in. the upshot is that i need to have cyberknife treatment on my cervical spine. i've already had radiation in that area so i can't have it again. after reviewing the c2 on the scans, she realized it was larger than she originally thought...i asked all the usual questions about side effects, and claustrophobic masks.
first off, my insurance has to okay it. then i come in for a planning meeting, where the mask is made and another ct scan happens. i'll wear the mask for about 45 minutes during the scan...it'll cover my whole face and neck and i'm gonna have to take a sedative because just thinking about it gives me the creeps. side effects show up about 2 weeks later. she said my throat will be sore, and some people feel like a pill is stuck in there when they swallow....oh lord... the good news is that most of the time the side effects last only a few weeks. i guess if we're going to any fancy restaurants we better do it soon.
after that, i headed to the next hospital to get my blood drawn, and then upstairs to the infusion room for another dose of faslodex. there's no proof that it's working but since the side effects aren't too bad, i decided to try it one more time. sometimes hormone treatments can take 4 or 5 months before kicking in. i still have a little hope, along with a band aid on each side of my butt.
both doctors were surprised that i wasn't in more pain, considering the scope of my tumors...the first one said i had a high pain tolerance, which is exactly the opposite of my reputation around here. perhaps i don't know my own strength...
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