More 2nd Opinions

I also have an appointment at MD Anderson Medical Center in Houston - it's one of the leading cancer centers in the US and they see a lot of ovarian cancer. The appointment, however, isn't until Nov 9, and I probably need to start chemo before then. I'm also on the waiting list for an earlier appointment. We'll see ...

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

Laparoscopic Surgery Thursday

I'm having laparoscopic, robot-assisted surgery Thursday, Sept 30th, then will have chemo in early Nov. Check out the video of the robot surgery - there's a short stretch that's a bit gory toward the beginning, but on the whole it's pretty interesting.
http://www.swedish.org/Services/Robotic-Surgery-(1)
Thank you all for your support and encouragement.

Done with Chemo!

I am now working on my comeback, having had my last chemo on the 14th. My oncologist decided to go for the middle way, between skipping it entirely and going for the full-on cycle. I had just IV Taxol and Carbo (a friendlier cousin of Cisplatin) in a 4-hour infusion at the doctor's office.
I am scheduled to get a CT scan in mid-September and to get a checkup in early October, when I expect to be officially declared in remission - or "NED" (prounounced "en - ee - dee," not like the guy's name and which is short for no evidence of disease).
Already I have more energy, even though the last bit of my Festival cold is still hanging on. Not energy like you would think of it - I still take a long nap in the afternoon as well as a long sleep at night - but more than I've had in months.
I continue to be grateful for your prayers and support - they make all the difference.

I'm Going to Festival !

If everything continues to go well, I'll be at Summer Festival July 30- August 5. I can't believe it! I first seriously considered the possibility on Sunday, after I'd had some energy for a few days. After consulting with my oncologist on Wednesday, I booked a flight - the same flight that a handful of Seattle Sangha are on, so they'll be able to look after me. I couldn't do it alone. What are the chances at this late day of that itinerary still being available, and at a reasonable price too? This morning I got confirmation that I have a place to stay at a cottage north of Ulverston with some other Festival-goers. I see Dorje Shugden's hand in all of this - ordinary life does not work out like this.
Hope all of you who are at Festival this week enjoy the empowerment, the teachings and the retreat. Please take good notes : )

Finally, an Update: Doing Very Well

Hello! I'm back. Sorry for the long break from blogging. I've been living my life, trying to catch up with my life and resting from my life.
My doctors say I'm doing very well. Tuesday I saw my naturopath and Wednesday I saw my oncologist. Both think I'm doing really well. In fact, my oncologist thinks that if they did a CT scan today, it would be clear. Which means that because he didn't find anything in my physical exam and because of my low CA-125, I'm most likely in remission already. That tumor marker dropped again, to 11.2, which is great news.
I think these last 2 rounds of chemo are like insurance. He even suggested I could skip the 6th round, because I may have reached the maximum benefit already and the chemo has some detrimental effects. The actual CT scan is scheduled for early September, and when I see my oncologist to talk about post-chemo plans September 4th.
Yesterday and today I'm in the hospital for my regularly scheduled chemo - the beginning of round 5. I also have my usual view of the city and Elliott Bay, the port, freighters, ferries and pleasure boats. Rebecca stopped by to visit. I'm not sure how she found the time, because she's one of the few people who's "holding down the fort" while everyone else is at Summer Festival. (Fortunately she got to go to Spring Festival.)

Good News

My CA-125 (tumor marker) dropped again - to 14.7, which by some standards is considered within the normal range. This is very good news. The chemo is working. My oncologist wants to see it drop further, to below 10 or even to 0 (if he could, I'm sure he'd even drive it below 0). As I understand it, they'll want me to have the full 6 courses of chemo no matter what that marker does.
Thursday and Friday I got chemo in the hospital. It was just like the last time - I felt perfectly comfortable during the infusions but wiped out when I got home. I rested all weekend and will rest again after I finish typing this.