A Plan Emerges -- And A Lesson in Preparation

Sometime really soon, I want to post about the four big-deal juggling gigs I've done this September -- with one more to go. Each has at least one special memory that I want to share with you. And in fact, I had every intention of writing that report today -- until Deb and I had a meeting with my medical oncology doc (i.e., the chemo guy). Now the juggling report will have to wait for a day or so...

Now, I had a list of things I knew I wanted to discuss with my doc and I was fairly sure (based on our previous discussions) that there would be some areas of contention during the conversation. So I had every point I wanted to make written out on a three-by-five card. And I prepared several verbal strategies that could be useful during the discussion. Just in case.

(Now this approach to the meeting may sound like a Good Thing to Do to get ready. The former Boy Scouts out there in blogland will likely recall the Boy Scout motto: "Be Prepared." And that may be sound advice if you're about to embark on a 2-week canoe trip or a 30-mile hike. But it may not be useful advice in preparation for a potentially confrontational discussion with your doctor. Because as you prepare for Possibility A and Possibility B and Possibility C, you mold yourself -- your thinking and your attitudes -- to those possibilities and close yourself off to the dozens of other things that might take place. Maybe it's better to be open to anything.)

Anyway, the bottom line on all this is that the meeting with the chemo doc went splendidly, and the doc was more than cooperative and understanding about what I wanted without my asking for anything. All I had to do was listen closely and nod in agreement. And all my preparation was for naught. A perfectly good three-by-five card wasted.

See?

The end result of the meeting was a scheduled follow-up meeting on Wednesday, October 21. By that date, I would have had both a PET scan and an ultrasound on my DVT (deep-vein thrombosis) blood clot.

If the PET scan comes back clean, then he suggested that I have the food tube removed as soon as possible -- but that I should leave it in place between now and then, just as a precaution.

And if the ultrasound comes back clean, then I could stop wearing the compression stocking and stop taking Coumadin (an anti-coagulant drug).

And he suggested that having a glass of wine every now and then wouldn't be a problem -- even while taking the Coumadin.

And he gave me very clear guidelines as to what physical exercises I could consider -- and which I should avoid -- in regards to the blood clot. And he wrote the guidelines out, so I can give a copy to my Personal Trainer, so she and I can get busy on getting Randy back to a stronger physical condition.

And he confirmed that the squamous cell carcinoma on my right jaw had nothing to do with the salivary gland duct cancer that was the cause of all this surgery and therapy.

He even told us a joke.

So I still get to set the exact dates on the PET scan and ultrasound, and the suggestion of waiting to remove the food tube makes perfect sense. And the timing he's suggesting matches the timing the radiation doc had in mind very closely.

I very nearly wept as Deb and I were leaving the meeting. What the doc provided for me was everything I could have asked for -- without my having to ask for anything.

I felt that I had been Heard. That the doc truly understood Who I Was and What I Needed today. Without my having to explain anything.

Both of these scans (which will take place in early- to mid-October) may come back clean. Or they may not. Other than maintaining a positive attitude; reaching for the best healing mind/body connection I can; and eating and sleeping well, there's not a lot else I can do between now and then. But today I feel that my chemo doc is truly on my side and providing the support I need from him.

Between now and the next meeting, I can be grateful for feeling healthy -- and understood. And I can take every opportunity to experience being alive and firmly rooted in the moment. And can continue to be deeply thankful for you, dear reader.

God bless you for staying with me on this journey.