Well, After a visit with my new Top Doc, Dr Fain, I am officially in the hands of the top cancer research hospital in the country, M. D. Anderson in Houston. Dr. Fain called them on Wednesday while we were in his office for his assessment of the PET scan. That meeting was not fun at all. For a variety of reasons.
We got there a half hour early, and did the normal blood work. The attending vampire (you have seen that commercial, right) was pretty good and took four vials of blood. He must have missed lunch. Then we went to the waiting area near Dr. Fain's office. We did not wait there long before they took us into his office, then took my vitals and left.
We waited there for over 30 minutes.
I have said it before. The most nerve wracking time in this whole experience is waiting for the doctor to come in to tell you the news. Good or bad, you just want it over. The wait is just plain painful!, and it took forever!
When he finally cane in, all he had to say was this was not what we wanted,
Right, we already knew that! Well, we did not say the news was bad, nor did he say there was nothing we could do. That much was good. Instead he said there were things we could do! He talked about new drugs he could try, and radiation we still could try if the last round did not cover everything. We have not talked things over with my radiologist yet, and still need to do that.He said we could check with folks in San Antonio, Houston, or Phoenix. Cheryl asked about something we heard about in Boston, and Dr. Fain had heard about that, but thought the Houston folks were best.
In the end, he jumped on the phone and called Houston and got me set up at M.D. Anderson Hospital in Houston, the top Cancer research hospital in the country, and where my surgeon (and previous top doc) trained.
Getting the Insurance set up
I spent a good part of Friday on the phone making sure all the insurance paperwork was current and they had everything they needed in Houston. Dr. Fain Faxed my records to Houston so it looks like they have everything they need to start looking over my situation and seeing what they think we should do. Dr. Fain hopes they will come up with a treatment plan we can do here in Austin, otherwise I may be in for a trip to Houston. They have a hotel right next to the hospital for those who need to stay there for extended stays in case Cheryl wants to come as well.
I feel better about things. Not exactly great, but it looks like I have as good a shot as I can get at attacking this thing. All my doctors feel the same way.
A new Top Doc?
So, why a new Top Doc?
Dr. Scholl has been in charge of my treatments for almost six years, and still is really in charge, but for now, it is Chemo that rules the treatment plan, and that is Dr. Fain's domain. Dr. Scholl has done all the surgery he feels he can do without causing more damage than good. I am hoping they can do something to shrink the tumor, because I am starting to have vision problems that are sure to be caused by this tumor near my eye. When I get tired, I get double vision, making it hard to drive.
All we can do now is wait for news from Houston, and pray they come up with a good plan.
To all of you out there praying for us, keep on praying. Cheryl and I can use all the help we can get!
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