Oncologist Appointment

I had a 6 month oncologist appointment today.

Everything looks good.

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As I have said before, Dr. H, my oncologist has told me that spacing my appointments to once per year would probably be fine. But I like to go every 6 months. It gives me some peace of mind.

I was scheduled for blood work at 9:30am, a half hour before my appointment with the oncologist. I got to the hospital way earlier than I needed to. I always do. I'd rather be there and sit quietly than worry about being late. I'm the same way with airports. And sometimes I get lucky and everyone's schedule is light that day and I can do blood early and Dr. H will see me early and I can just get home. 

That wasn't the case today. The line at the blood draw office was very slow. The person in front of me had some kind of problem and the very talkative receptionist had to deal with it before I could be checked in. And then when I did get to the front of the line, the receptionist told me that Dr. H's office hadn't put in the order yet. So I had go up three flights and tell them, and then go back down and wait for the paperwork to go through. 

A minor annoyance, really. I still got to Dr. H's office on time for my appointment. But it was unusual. They're usually very efficient, and that threw me off a little.

Something else was a little different today, too -- everyone at the hospital was extremely friendly. That's not always the case. Sometimes the people I deal with -- office workers, nurses, security -- are very "professional," but kind of cold, too. Today they were very warm. Even the talkative receptionist in the blood draw office interrupted me to give one of her co-workers a hug. She apologized, and I said it was fine -- I'd never want to interrupt a hug. So maybe that's the trade-off? I can get cold and efficient, or warm with missing paperwork? (If that's really the choice, then I'll take the warmth.)

I was called into the appointment, led in by a very friendly nurse, who did all of the usual things -- blood pressure, temperature, weight, etc. Then I went into the exam room and waited for Dr. H.

Something interesting occurred to me as I was being led down the hall by the nurse. I've lost about 25 pounds since the fall. I've been using an app called Lose It! It's basically a calorie counter that helps me to be more aware of what I'm eating. [I'm not getting any money from Lose It! to tell you that, just to be clear.] My cardiologist had suggested I try one of the weight-loss drugs that are getting very popular, but I wasn't crazy about what I was reading about them, so I tried to do it on my own without the drugs. So far so good. 

Usually when I lose even a little bit of weight, my cardiologist and my general practitioner are very encouraging. But what occurred to me here was that my oncologist might react in the opposite way. Weight loss is, of course, often a symptom of an active tumor. So much for getting lots of praise today.

Dr. H was very quick to come in to the exam room. We talked a little about work, and travel, and kids, as we always do. I updated him on the skin cancer surgery (the dermatologist office is not in the same healthcare system as the oncologist, so there was no record of it in my online chart). And I updated him on various vaccines I had gotten in the last 6 months (which I got at my local pharmacy -- again, different online system, so no records).

I told him I was actively trying to lose weight, at the recommendation of the cardiologist. He was pleased, but also cautious. He asked me what my goal was, and I told him probably another 10 or so pounds. He took note of that in my chart, and said he was almost certain that the weight loss wasn't cancer-related, since my blood work was normal. Almost certain. It's kind of fascinating how different doctors have different perspectives and concerns.

Dr. H was pleased with things -- my blood work, my well-behaved lymph nodes, and my general attempt to be and stay healthier. As I often do, I asked him about what was happening in the world of Lymphoma treatment. He mentioned Bispecifics again, and their being approved for Relapsed/Refractory Follicular Lymphoma. And that means it would be an option for me if and when I need treatment again. He also mentioned that, given my success with Rituxan, that would be an option for me as well. But he was also excited about Bispecifics as a first treatment for FL, and said the hospital was part of the trial for that.

So I'm done for 6 months. At least with this cancer. I go for a follow-up for the skin cancer surgery in the spring. I'll be sure to update you about that as well.

I hope you all have happy oncologists at your next appointment, too. Stay well.