Doctors' Week

Today I'm off to visit with my family physician. He's a great general doctor in this day and age of specialists.

When you are diagnosed with cancer you start being more sensitive to your body. Was this here before? Was that there before? What is this lump? What is that bump?

I've had a couple instances where I felt something that turned out to be nothing at all. It's weird. That's about all I can say. When you lose 40-pounds and go through chemo your body goes through changes and new things appear that may have been covered by fat before.

For instance right now my hair is pretty darn full, blonde on top with dark roots, dark on the sides, and darker eyebrows then I've every had. The one chemo nurse keeps asking me how I get my hair like this. I guess she doesn't believe me when I tell her it's all done my chemo. Right now it looks like I color the top of my hair blonde and my dark roots are showing. lol

The past two weeks I noticed a lump on my throat, below the adam's apple, between the clavicle, right where the thyroid should be. So I'm going to let my family doctor look at to see what he thinks.

I guess it could be enlarged, although that's not a common side-effect of my current chemotherapy. Or it could be perfectly normal, something I just didn't notice before. We'll see.

The tailbone is still sore from my trip down the stairs. So I want to mention that to him also. I'm guessing he'll order an x-ray so we at least can see how much damage I did to myself in the fall. It's not like we can put my butt in a cast. But if we know whether it's a fracture or just a bruise, at least then I know how easy I should be on myself.

I hope it's just a bruise. I don't want to stop doing physical stuff.

Tomorrow, Barb, my Mom, and myself, are headed for the specialist in Philly. I hope we get decent weather for the drive. And I hope the doctor doesn't leave me in the waiting room for hours, as has happened too often before.

I have a laundry list of questions for the specialist. Every time I ask my local oncologist about new drugs or new techniques he just shrugs his shoulders. He doesn't even care to learn about these things.

I updated my research this morning in preparation for tomorrow's appointment. I was thrilled to learn that there are at least half-a-dozen new drugs in clinical trials right now. New drugs have to go through clinical trials to present to the FDA before the FDA will decide whether to approve them or not.

There is a lot to discuss with the Philly specialist. He is on the cusp of kidney cancer research, and a valuable source of information. If only we didn't have to drive to Philly to share that information.

I asked my family doctor last visit why doctors don't seem to talk to other doctors. He said, very honestly and a little ashamed, that is just not how the system works. If a doctor talks to another doctor and doesn't get to see the patient then he doesn't get to cash a check. Just another reason why free enterprise hinders health care.

Let's face it, what would be more constructive, an expert talking to an expert, or stupid me talking to an expert? I read an article the Philly specialist wrote about advances in chemotherapy for kidney cancer patients. It was an extensive article and I only understood one thing - that he feels that combinations of drugs will be necessary to effectively treat this disease. The rest of the article? I have no clue what he was talking about.