November 27th I had another post-treatment follow-up with my chemo doctor. He is a hoot! Dr. S cracks me up. I think it's because he is so human. He says random things, but gets serious when it's necessary. It's a refreshing change with all the clinically distant encounters I've had throughout this process.
It also helps that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the clinic where I have been treated in Casa Grande. The support staff is so upbeat, and hilarious. They get my sense of humor and I've only been taken down a notch once (when I went for a walk where I shouldn't have been, with my IV pole- ha ha!). There's not a single one of them that I dislike, which makes it a joy to go and see everyone for treatment and follow-ups. I probably spent more time there than I needed to yesterday, just so I could talk to a bunch of those lovely ladies. It's always a good time.
Miss T was a my partner in crime yesterday as we drove to and fro. It helps to have company to keep the trip from getting stagnant. She also helped keep me centered when a friend of mine, who's sat with me during chemo treatments was wheeled in by his family. He had been diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer a while back and had had chemo treatments and some rad as a way to keep the cancer in check. He was looking really rough and actually had to go and throw-up while waiting for his rad treatment. Before they wheeled him back for treatment he let me and Miss T know that his cancer had spread to his brain and they were treating it with radiation now. I'm not going to make this about me and my reaction, all I ask is that you keep him in your prayers, when you find yourself on your knees. He is a wonderful guy, and every bit helps.
When I met with Dr. S I found out a little somethin' somethin' about my blood. I have a disorder, which my baby sister also has called: Beta Thalessemia Minor. Unless you have a hematologist check your blood panels, it isn't usually caught. It masks itself as anemia. I've been told I'm anemic my whole life. In fact, my RBC (red blood cell) counts were so low when I had baby #3 that I ended up getting a blood transfusion. At that time, I'm sure I needed it. I was feeling pretty rough. However, if you have this blood oddity chances are you've been told your anemic and then put on an iron regiment (like I have). The only problem is that you can actually be poisoned if this occurs, because you don't need the iron. It just means that your RBC's produce rapidly but are smaller than normal ones. So, I don't have to do anything with this, just keep it in mind for the next time I'm told to choke down some iron.
I was also told that my white blood counts are low, which means the chemo is still in my system. Also, not a big deal. He checked my backside and let me know that I look like Kim Kardashian. Ha ha ha! Then told me that things were healing right on schedule.
Dr. S then had orders written for the MAGICAL PET/CT scan for December 17th. Woohoo!!! I sincerely mean that. WOOHOO!!! This means that I can find out sooner, rather than later, how things have reacted to the treatments. I'm pretty excited about this. I want to know that we're good to go. I want to be able to move forward and not have to look back again.
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