In Eight Steps to Happiness Geshe-la says "'Self' and 'other' are relative terms, rather like 'this mountain' and 'that mountain ... 'This' and 'that' therefore depend upon our point of reference. This is also true of self and other. By climbing down the mountain of self, it is possible to ascend the mountain of other, and thereby cherish others as much as we presently cherish ourself."

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

2nd Opinion

I have to choose a chemo regimen, and even after reading a lot of medical research online, it's not at all clear which to do. I need a 2nd opinion.
Today I talked to medical oncologist Dr. Hank Kaplan at Swedish Hospital here in Seattle. He has a reputation as the best medical oncologist in the city. (In email a few days ago, he told me my surgeon is the best for ovarian cancer. My surgeon is also a gynecological oncologist, which is apparently different from a medical oncologist.)
I called Dr. Kaplan's office today about an appointment; his scheduler talked to him as he walked by; he said he'd prefer to call me first this evening - which he did a few minutes ago.
He said it would be easiest for him to see me after my surgery: If they keep me overnight, he'll look at my surgery report and come to my room; if they send me home, Richard will call his office to let him know, and I'll get an appointment with him next week. Amazing!
I've met him twice, when I've accompanied a good friend named "Uma" who has stage 3 breast cancer. He first saw her on a Sat morning; even his staff thought Uma was mistaken about the appointment, because he rarely works weekends - she's an MD herself, so she got special treatment. But I feel like I'm getting special treatment too.
There's more info about Dr K at
http://www.swedish.org/Physicians/Henry-Kaplan

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