Oncologist Consult

We met with Dr Krekow earlier to discuss starting chemo. Here is the plan:

Wednesday, 7/8/09: Chemo Training (this is where they warn you about all the side effects etc and educate you more about the process)

Friday, 7/10/09: Surgery to install the port-a-cath. A port-a-cath is a small port they will put on the left side of my chest that goes into a vein. This is what they will tap into during each blood draw and chemo treatment.

Every Thursday (not sure of the time yet) for 12 weeks, starting 7/16/09, chemo treatment of Taxol. From what she says, most people don't have extreme side effects during this treatment. Most people do not lose their hair during this treatment (but it is possible).

After that, we will set up a schedule for CEF chemo treatments (cyclophosphamide, epirubicin, and fluorouracil). This is the bad one. These will have the chance for all the really nasty side effects. They will try to give me anti-nausea drugs and other drugs to ease any side effects that occur. Most people do lose their hair during this treatment. I will have 12 weeks of this, where I go once every 3 weeks (so 4 treatments over 12 weeks).

I picked up a wig today. I found one that I think looks very much like my own hair. I wanted to get this before our insurance coverage ends, and before I started treatment just in case. I think it looks pretty good. There is a picture of me in it here: