Second Opinion Clears Up Misunderstanding

I saw the oncologist my primary care doc suggested I see for a second opinion. It was definitely very helpful if only to clear up a serious misunderstanding I had taken from my treating oncologist after finishing chemo during our April meeting. He had said that I would not be doing further chemo, which led me to believe there were no further chemo options for me.

This guy said there were still lots of chemo options to try, but they are harsher and will take a permanent physical toll. The taxol/carbo did have an effect in shrinking most of my tumors, even if only slightly. I still remain essentially symptom free with a pretty good quality of life so it make sense to stop chemo for now and see how the hormone treatment works for me. The longer I can drag things out with things remaining stable, the better. Only when it becomes clear the tumors are growing again will they consider the next chemo to try. That was a big relief to me. Not that I'm looking forward to being further poisoned by chemo. Better than the alternative, though.

I may also be eligible for the clinical trial I was rejected for in April at some later stage after my disease has progressed. Given that I am doing pretty well now, they probably don't want to put me through their trial at this point.

Bottom line is he agreed fully with all the treatment decisions my regular doc is making. He just explained it better. He did say "I hope your doctor has told you that this is incurable." He hasn't, but it has been crystal clear to me since I did not get a great response to the taxol/carbo chemo. He also said that my doc is a very busy guy in high demand so he needs to see as many people as possible. [He's primarily an expert surgeon] He's always in Seattle's Best Doctors edition of a local magazine. So I'm lucky to have him and have always trusted him. I did the second opinion appointment to satisfy my PCP and Darcy, but it was worth it to get a more thorough explanation. I am definitely more encouraged that I'm not going to croak anytime soon.

The hair is steadily coming in, but still pretty uneven. I dyed it blue (looks purple now) a couple weeks ago which is kind of fun. But there is a big swath down the left side that has only just started really coming in. It also pretty white so compared to the blue, really looks bald. I still expect to lose the hats in a couple weeks. They're just too hot and uncomfortable in the summer.

Maybe I'll post a picture of the new look soon. :)