Me and Dr. E: Monday, May 11, 2009

This morning I had a chemo planning appointment (can you say fee generator?) with Dr. E. Oh well, it’s always good to chat with him even if I had to wait almost an hour to see him this morning. Boo! Here’s a brief rundown of what we discussed:

· First, the good news: My CA 125 blood test results, which doctors use to track the progress of ovarian cancer treatment, are back and they are fabulous! My level has dropped from an all-time high of 88, which is really nothing compared to some ovarian cancer patients’ levels, to a mere 26!!! Obviously, there is more work to be done (he wants my level to be under 20), but this is a great start. Hurray for Dr. E and me!
· Next, the confusing news: My pathology consult is back from Hopkins and they’re still unsure as to whether or not I’m dealing with a Stage III uterine cancer that has metastasized outside the uterus onto the ovaries and other spots previously discussed OR if I’m truly dealing with synchronous primaries in multiple locations. And like I’ve said before, they really won’t know until I have my hysterectomy and they can run more pathology on my uterus. No matter. My treatment course is the same regardless of what I’m facing and frankly, I don’t really care about the details. I’m just going to stay the hell away from estrogen and keep exercising, downing veggies and water, limiting my beloved vino...and sugar, and animal protein, and anything else that tastes somewhat satisfying.
· What else? After a little more debate, we’ve decided to stick with the six chemo rounds divided in half by surgery schedule. To that end, I’ll be scheduling my early July surgery with Dr. E’s surgery scheduler in the next couple of days. What fun?!? Another surgery to add to my summer 09 memory book.
· There were a few more little things we discussed like mild anti-depressant use for menopause symptoms (they’re apparently effective for women who can’t take hormones), a potential tummy tuck to make me happy with my stomach again (I’ve got what look like two small baby butt cheeks on either side of the top of my incision right now, which doesn’t make me happy…), and what I should expect from the next round of chemo (the answer is: who knows?) but that’s about it.

I’ll be back at the office on Friday for chemo #2. Yay…another relaxing day to look forward to! That’s not sarcasm, by the way. I’m actually looking forward to it. Really.