Yesterday’s outpatient chemotherapy went well. First I saw Dr. Phil Caron, who reviewed the bloodwork and my file and wrote a new prescription for an antibiotic (Bactrim) for my sinus infection. Dr. Carol Wasserheit, who’s been doing most of the follow-up in the past 2 years, dropped in to say hi and tell me how good I looked (hahaha).
I was also given prescriptions for another CT scan and PET scan, to enable Dr. Zelenetz (the lymphoma guru) to "re-stage" my lumphoma (I suppose that means seeing the effects ofthe RCHOP chemo). I wasn’t aware that I needed these scans until I called Dr. Z’s office last Thursday to see what was being scheduled, since RCHOP is now over, and I am to go to a new protocol – ICE – requiring two night stays as an in-patient in MSK in Manhattan.
This brings up an important, VERY IMPORTANT, point – when you have cancer you must be your own advocate. I am going to write about that tonite. It is so important and perhaps I should have written about it already
My CT scan is already scheduled for Phelps on Monday.
The actual chemotherapy took about four and a half hours and was quite easy. In fact I think I dozed off for about half of it. Never even opened the laptop. Did finish a second reading of "The Doors of the Sea", my latest read, which I will write a separate note about. Took a picture of one of the lounge chairs for the chemo patients – no one was in it of course, as well as a picture out the window, and three photos of some of the fish in the aquarium. Found out the name of the strange-looking big yellow fish – a "dog-faced puffer fish" – who was lying on the bottom, looking not too healthy. He’d been swimming around quite well two weeks earlier.
The receptionist said, something like "that fish is sick – don’t think he’s going to make it." And then she said "the fish over in Radiology are always dying off." So I said to her "Of course they’re dying – they’re over in radiology – they’re all growing two heads." The two staff members who heard this thought it was a riot. I have found that the smallest joke always gets a good laugh at the Sleepy Hollow branch of MSK. Could be that most of the patients don’t joke around when they are there.
So my fourth session finishes my out-patient chemo and now it’s on to ICE. I hope the first session will be in two weeks. That was the original plan, but nothing has been scheduled yet. I will have to see Dr. Zelentez first, and it might be tough to get the CT and PET scan results to him in time for the ICE to start in two weeks. We will see.
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