Saw my oncologist today. Everything looks good.
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Before I get to that, I want to give myself a plug for another article that I had published on The Mighty. It's called "Monetizing My Cancer (Or, How I Almost Became a Kardashian)," and it tells the tale of how I tried to make some money off of this blog (and failed). Please take a look if you get a chance.
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As for my oncologist appointment:
I was pleased that I was able to see Dr. V again. You might remember my recent history with oncologists. I saw Dr. R for a long time, since I'd been diagnosed, and then he moved away. I was given an appointment with another doctor, a general oncologist who didn't listen to me at all and talked to me like I was a child. I was getting ready to leave him when he retired. Dr. V was his "temporary" replacement, coming into the office only once a week, and teaching and seeing patients at a medical school for the rest of his time. He is still coming once a week. When we met last time, he and I talked about some of the treatments for Follicular Lymphoma that were being studied and were close to approval. We both got very excited about it all. I really liked him.
So I was happy to see him again. We didn't talk about treatments this time -- it was enough to know that I could if I needed or wanted to.
As always, the exam consisted of three parts: blood work, physical exam, and asking me questions. My blood work looked good (he said there was one number that was borderline high, but he wasn't worried about it). No new lumps or bumps. I had nothing to report as far as chills or fevers or night sweats.
We had a pleasant chat about my kids.
Nothing too exciting.
Which is something I appreciate in an appointment with an oncologist.
He again offered to make the next appointment for a full year from now, but said I could come back earlier if I wanted to. I took him up on the 6 month appointment offer.
So I guess you're stuck with me for a while longer.
Thanks for reading.
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7 comments:
Thanks, Donna! Glad o hear your appointment went well, too.
Good health to us both!
Bob
Great news Bob. Good decision on the 6-month vice 12-month checkup. If progression occurs (I hope it does not) the sooner you catch it the better the treatment outcome.
William
Hi Bob,
I am now into my seventh year of watch and wait since I was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma in my duodenum and have not had any treatment so far. Next check up June 2018.
If you are still asymptomatic like me then it is unlikely a check-up will in itself produce any surprises, and the trend is away from periodic CAT scans on watch and wait unless prompted by symptoms, as with follicular lymphoma patients scans have limited clinical value other than at diagnosis and monitoring results of treatment, against a considerable accumulative radiation risk and false positive results. I read a clinical study that with 80% of watch and wait follicular lymphoma patients, commencement of treatment was triggered by symptoms the patients brought to the attention of their doctors, not the check ups themselves.
Robert
Thanks, William! I don't know if I'll ever feel confident enough for 12 month check-ups, though the doc said if I ever had any problems, just give him a call.
Bob
Hi Robert. Congratulations on your 7 years of watching and waiting. Yes, I've seen that study as well. I had to fight with my last oncologist to skip a scan that he wanted me to get. I outlasted him -- he retired before I ever got the scan.
Continued good luck on your watching and waiting.
Bob
Congratulations Bob! Great news about your continued remission. I myself am 1 yr. 7 mos. out of treatment and two years since diagnosis. My oncologist has insisted on a CT scan every 6 mos. so far. I'm hoping that if the one this month is clear I can go a year or more before another one. I also don't like the idea of excessive radiation, although the doctors always say it's not that high a dose.....really?? When you think about all the different ways we're exposed to radiation: dental xrays, bone density scans, mammograms, bone xrays, chest xrays, etc. I can't believe that the accumulation of these scans isn't causing issues within our bodies.
I appreciate and look forward to your blog and the information you are providing for us follicular lymphoma survivors. :-) Shelly
Shelly, I was told a CT scan equals 300 chest X-rays. Not sure if this is true.
I haven't had any since DX 3 years ago.
The fewer the better. The excess radiation can lead to secondary cancers.
Donna
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