Maybe a new treatment??

So I am finally sitting down to write about my appt. with Dr. B. last week. This was a 3 month follow up....wow, it is kind of cool to only be seeing him every three months now!!! I asked him about a new study I saw on the drug Zometa...this is a drug that originally started being used for patients with bone loss and then they started using it for cancer patients that had progression into their bones. Now there are studies out showing that this drug also has benefits for early stage BC patients to help prevent recurrence. I don't think he was surprised by me bringing this up...he knows how I do my research. He had just returned from the big oncology conference in Chicago and he said there was a great deal of discussion about this. He said he would be willing to give me this treatment if the insurance would approve it...it is a 15 minute infusion given every six months for three years....the good news is that it really doesn't have any major side effects...there are some odd things that happen VERY rarely but I won't even go there. Now we just have to see what the insurance says...I hope I get approved...any thing that improves my chances of not having a recurrence is great. We talked about the swelling I was having in my feet but he wasn't too concerned about that since it is not in my legs...just said to keep an eye on it. Overall, he said that I am doing great! I told him that there are actually days that I feel almost normal again. He seemed so glad to hear me say that....he told me that when he decided to change fields and become an Oncologist that he hoped that he would be able to help his patients get thru their treatment and then get back to their lives...he said he knows that all cancer patients have some level of fear of recurrence but that he hoped he could help his patients move forward.....what a wonderful thing to hear a doctor say!! This shows that he doesn't just look at his patients as a disease...he sees them for the people that they are...he treats us as people....we are so lucky to have him as a doctor!!

I will get my MUGA results when I go for my next treatment....it took 2 people to get the IV in this time...the second person they called in was the woman that was with me when they did the injection for the sentinal node....that was by far the most painful procedure I have ever had in my life but she was such an angel....she held my hand, prayed for me and even kissed my forehead when I was crying. As she was trying to get the IV in I told her how much I appreciated how good she was to me back in September on that horrible day. We talked for quite a while and she told me how much she loves her job and helping people....again, the patients that see her are very lucky!! She finally got the needle in and we hugged and said goodbye...the test went fine...it just stinks that they are not able to access my port for these tests. I forgot to mention that Dr. B. looked at my port and said "when are we getting rid of this thing??" I told him that I was thinking we would take it out when I had my exchange surgery in November...he said that sounded like a good plan and then he said "you are never going to need that thing again"....I love his optimism!!!