Still Spinning

Today I'm seeing the breast surgical oncologist to discuss my surgery, the double mastectomy.  I have a list of questions but I still feel like I'm not going to be asking enough or the right questions.  I just want this done.

Yesterday I got a voice mail from a plastic surgeon office.  They can see me for a consultation on January 4th and do surgery on January 17th.  Um, NO!  I want this as soon as possible!  I don't want to keep waiting and waiting and waiting.  That's nuts!  I called my oncologist's office back and asked if I could be referred to a different plastic surgeon so I didn't have to wait that long.  Guess I'll hear more about that today.

From what the medical oncologist said last week, chemo will start 4-6 weeks after surgery, depending on how I heal.  From what I read online, immediate reconstruction with implants is the easiest to heal from, so I guess that's good.

The sooner, the surgery, the sooner I heal, the sooner I start chemo and the sooner I'm DONE with chemo.  That's the goal here.  Four months is going to be a very long time.  I don't want this pushing into July.  I want this DONE.

So the chemo.  Once every 2 weeks.  The first 8 weeks will be 2 drugs, then the next 8 weeks will one different drug.  8 visits.  I was told to plan on being there for 4 hours, between meeting with the oncologist, prepping, drugs to prevent nausea and the other side effects, then the actual drugs and watching me a little to make sure I'm okay.  And I won't be allowed to drive myself.  THEN, the next day I get to go back, 24 hours after chemo ends, for an injection.  I CAN drive myself for that one.

My boyfriend already said he'd take me in town for the surgery.  Last night we were chatting and he said he'd work from home for a few days after surgery to stay with me and make sure I'm okay when I get home.

With all of that, plus all the times he's been with me for all of the doctor appointments already, plus more of them coming up, I don't want him to have any issues with work.  He's already crazy busy!  The last thing I want is any issues for him with all of that.

So... chemo.  8 appointments to get me back and forth and possibly company while I'm sitting there with an IV in me, freaking out because I HATE needles.  Trying not to be sick and wanting to be somewhere else.  Chemo appointments.  8 of them.

Friends keep asking how they can help, what they can do?  Chemo treatments!  Remember the Sex in the City episode when Samantha has breast cancer and is going through chemo treatments?  All the girls meet to join her, hang out with her and distract her.  They enjoy popsicles with her (to help with mouth sores during chemo) and make her laugh.  Plus, I'm guessing, make sure she's okay getting home.

So what can friends do?  I'll have 8 chemo treatments.  8 times I need to sit for hours at Dana Farber, hooked up to an IV, getting drugs pumped into me.  8 times over 4 months.  I would love rides back and forth from the hospital as well as company to help me get through the time I'm hooked up.  8 times, 4 hours each, plus the back and forth ride of 15-20 minutes each way?  Round up and say 5 hours... so a total of 40 hours of help.

I don't know exactly when surgery is.  I don't know how long it will take me to heal.  I don't know when chemo will start or end, what days of the week I'll go, what times of day I'll be there.  I know nothing about any of it, other than the drugs.