Doctors appointment

Jan 18 2011

I was very nervous about going to the doctors today. I decided not to do the recommended PET and CAT scans. I was not sure how the Oncologist would react. It is only a three mile drive to the Cancer Center from my house. That is the advantage of living in the city. I cannot believe I used to drive 45 min to an hour to see my doctors in the past. I used to drive 5-7 hours twice a week to do treatments in Chicago. Sarasota is a great place to live if you are unhealthy. Doctors offices seem to be on every corner.

Being by myself in the car gave me some time to pray and thank God.

When I walked into the Cancer Center I felt so out of place. There are so many older people there. I just did not fit in. When I got into the elevator and pressed the “floor three button” for the cancer level, I wondered how many people where wondering, or had no clue why I was in this place. I thought they must be thinking I am picking up my grandma.

I walked up to the front desk and told the lady I had a 9:30 appointment. She told me to take a seat in the waiting area. I was all by myself, no one was with me. Sometimes it feels good for me to be alone. I feel like I can face things better on my own with just me and God, if I were to hear bad news. I was glad my sister was able to be with me my first appointment. I am happy I learned to knit. Knitting really helps the time past and make you feel like you’ve accomplished something while waiting endlessly. When the secretaries tell you it is going to be just a minute it never is.

I was called back into the room. The nurse pricked my finger and squeezed it 15 times to get enough blood to get a CBC blood test from me. Doctor Alluri came in the room. He asked me why I did not do the PET/CAT scan. I told him I was going to do it then I re-thought some things over, my husband and I were not comfortable with injecting the radioactivity into my body. I also said I was concerned because I had 20 month old boys at home, and after you do a PET scan you are not supposed to be around children for 12 hours. Dr. Alluri said he understood my concerns. He made a phone call to someone who knew about the PET scan. He wanted to know if it was really that dangerous or not. They confirmed that it was dangerous for children to be around me. The specialist said I should not be around them for 6 hours instead of 12.

Dr. Alluri said the small risk out weighed the benefit of me doing the scan. I did not have good records of my cancer since 2005. They did have a CAT scan of 2010 that showed a 2cm nodule in my chest. Dr. Alluri did not think it was something of great concern, but he would not know unless I did the PET and CAT scan. I thought I had remembered that the spot was scarring from the tumor that was there in my chest from the last time I had cancer. I have had some shortness of breath.

I asked Dr. Alluri what my blood work results where. He said they where great! My liver, kidneys, CBC, were all good. There were no high levels of protein or calcium in my blood. That was a great relief for me. High levels of these could be a sign of Multiple Myeloma. Praise God for the good report!

I talked to Dr. Alluri about the new blood test that is being talked about on the news, and in the news paper. He was not so thrilled about that. He said he was just talking about that with another patient. He said that blood test was only a screening, and would only be used for people who did not have cancer before. I asked him about doing the AMAS blood test. He said there was not enough evidence for him to use the AMAS test.

I had to make a decision about doing the scans again. I was glad to talk my concerns over with Dr. Alluri. I was glad that he was not angry at me for not just taking his word for granted. He seemed to realized that I was wanting to educate myself and make good decisions and not just do the normal protocol of “ whatever the doctors say.”

I scheduled the scans for Feburary 4th and my next appointment is Feb 8th. I need to talk things over with Glenn again about doing the scans. I will pray and ask for wisdom on making this medical decision.

I feel pain in my bones still. I am not in severe pain. My back hurts when I lift the boys and do things. I still have to take breaks. I am supposed to see the Rheumatologist sometime next month too. Hopefully I can find a answer about what is causing the bone decay and pain. Dr. Alluri thinks the osteoporosis is from the steroids and chemotherapy I did, but is not sure. I should be able to find out some answers from the Rheumatologist. I am so grateful for all my friends and family who are praying!