I had my medical oncologist appointment this week, which was different than the appointment I had last week with the breast surgery oncologist. I was overwhelmed with info, and I'm bad at note taking. I wished I would have recorded it, but hopefully I got the important stuff down. Here's my top six things to share...
I'm looking at about 20 weeks of chemo in the form of Part A & B.
Part A is intense. It's called dose-dense chemotherapy: A chemotherapy treatment plan in which drugs are given with less time between treatments than in a standard chemotherapy treatment plan.
For the first eight weeks, I'll go bi-weekly. In the past for this type of treatment, it was given once every three weeks, but trials show that turning up the heat and offering every two weeks for those in an early stages of cancer reduce the chance of the cancer returning. Drugs... doxorubicin (Adriamycin) & cyclophosphamide (Cytoxan) AKA: AC.
Part B is a smaller dose and is once a week for 12 weeks. Drug... paclitaxel (Taxol)
First round is scheduled for April 15th. Tax Day, hence the reason the IRS postponed the filing date this year. You're welcome!
Before chemo, I'll need a 1) PET scan (not for Fido), 2) port surgery (no wine involved) 3) echocardiogram, 4) a chemo teach (a class on what to expect before you start chemo) and 5) blood work.
Linking Knowledge
Prayer Request: For the two oncologists I've met with so far... Dr. Ahmed and Dr. Viscusi
Gratitude: Because of the coronavirus, waiting rooms for dealing with my unrelated illness are almost empty.