First Oncology Appointment

Today Carol and I went with Neil to his first oncologist appointment at Bethesda North. First things first, I hate any kind of medical setting and for some odd reason, this place put me at ease immediately. Everyone was friendly and the nurses were great. Everything was nice and open and well-decorated and nicely lit. I know that's a small thing, but I think it will make a difference the more we're there.

Neil is seeing Dr. Apurva Mehta, who was until recently also a faculty member at UC and has led clinical trials in cancer research. He comes highly recommended by both Neil's primary care physician and the surgeon who performed the lymph node removal.

Of course, there have been lots of worries, and Dr. Mehta addressed them all the best he could.

Right now, we are probably looking at around 6 rounds (two injections per month is a round)...maybe more, maybe less. So it could really be anywhere from 4-6 months. I think he is opting to do chemo on Fridays so he can recover on the weekends and return to work each Monday he is able. He will recieve the ABVD treatment, which is pretty common.

He immediately asked us about children and we've decided (sorry if this is too personal!) that we are not going to preserve semen for future use. Chemo can render most people infertile for at least a year or two and there's a small chance that it's forever. But neither one of us was to go the artificial route if we decide to have kids. So we're going to take our chances if the day comes. Bonus, nobody can bug us about it for two years! Haha. He also assured us that Neil will most likely be able to continue with normal activities and work schedules. He will just need to take it easy and pay attention to his blood tests to make sure he's strong.

Something I will just have to put out there now: you will not be able to visit Neil if you are sick, are getting sick or have recently been sick. His immune system will be weak this winter and I should probably buy stock in Lysol. I'm a nice gal but I'll have to be very strict about this one. He could end up in the hospital if he gets sick.

We've also been told that if you are someone who will be around him fairly often, a flu shot is advisable. I swore I'd never get one, but looks like we're stopping at Walgreens after work!

He has a battery of tests and treatments coming up. They are:

MUGA Scan tomorrow, which will look at his heart and make sure it's up to the chemo. All indications say his heart is fine but this just make sure he can handle the ABVD drug cocktail because it's rough (nicknamed the Red Devil).

Friday: Bone marrow biopsy. Local anaesthesia. They will take a small sample to make sure the cancer is not in his bones. Blood tests have shown that there is little chance of this and the doctor assured us of this today.

Saturday: PET Scan. This will light up cancer cells and give doctors a clear path of attack.

Monday: Portacath will go in as an outpatient surgery at Clermont Mercy. This will make his chemotherapy easier.

Tuesday: Consultation with the doctor to confirm staging, prescribe anti-anxiety and anti-nausea medications and go over any questions.

Friday: The big day--his first chemo treatment.

A lot of people have been asking about the house, so I'll address it. We have been on the phone with our insurance company and Neil is sorting out his work benefits. We want to go ahead and close on November 16th but haven't made our final decision. Getting Neil better is the #1 priority...if we can still get the house, that's just icing on the cake. We'll keep you posted.