Plan Implemented

Yesterday I saw Dr. George. My blood was drawn and I was given the go ahead for chemo. But I told her of my inclination to take some time off from chemo and my reasoning. She suggested I contact hospice. Well, that was not her immediate response but the topic did come up. I’m opting out of that for now too.

Dr. George was actually very supportive of my idea. I gave her every opportunity to talk me back into chemo but even the Chemo Kaiser doesn’t have enough faith in this regimen to insist on it. She even raised another argument in favor of taking time off; the risk/reward consideration. There’s the risk of doing damage to the kidneys or further compromising my immune system with little expectation of reward.

Dr. George has helped me implement my plan with gusto. Tomorrow I will see a kidney specialist to assess the current condition of my kidneys. Hopefully we’ll find out they can tolerate some more abuse. I’ll also see a gastroenterologist to get advise about the ascites. We will consider a semi-permanent catheter so I can drain the fluid out myself on a daily basis. Some people have suggested this to me previously but I’ve resisted because I’m afraid it will be restrictive. I probably don’t have a choice now. I still have to schedule the MUGA test to see if my heart can take more Herceptin.

So my hope is to prepare my body for a full attack on the disease in a few weeks. If things don’t work out, by that time I may be ready to talk to hospice.

Carry on.

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