I’m Not Dead Yet (I.N.D.Y.)

So I got up today to go work out; 5:30a came very early!  I made it to the gym and did the first half of my workout (weights), but I did not have the energy to do my cardio.  I was so bummed.  It’s funny how a perfectly good day can be “ruined” by something as silly as not having a good workout.

At the party, several people asked what comes next, so here’s what’s on my medical plate for the next couple of weeks:

• Tomorrow (well, today, actually — 7/22) I am having an ERCP to replace the stent that is currently in my bile duct.  As a potential test of whether my tumor has shrunk any, I’m going to ask the gastroenterologist (Dr. Kulkarni) if he will see if there is any flow when he takes the stent out.  Essentially, before chemo/radiation the tumor was pushing against the bile duct preventing flow; if the tumor has shrunk, perhaps there will be flow when the stent is removed (though, he’ll still put a new stent in).
• Thursday (7/24) I have my re-staging CT at Emory.  I’ll get a copy of the CD with the images, but I will not get the report from the scan until next week.  (This is code for: “I won’t know anything about my scan until Monday 7/28, so don’t ask!”).
• Monday (7/28) I meet with the Atlanta-based surgeon (Dr. Sarmiento).  Dr. Sarmeinto was very positive about my prognosis for surgery back in April; hopefully, my tumor behaved itself.
• Tuesday (7/29), MaryBeth and I fly to Baltimore.  My mother will be meeting us there and hopefully we can get together with my brother, Isaac, for dinner.  Either way, we will be staying near Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, so I’m hoping we’ll have time to visit around there.  (As an aside, the docs at Emory will discuss my tumor at their Tumor Board on Tuesday, too.)
• Wednesday (7/30), I have an appointment with Dr. Cameron, the surgeon from Johns Hopkins, for a surgical consult / 2nd opinion.
• Monday (8/4), I meet with Dr. Kauh, my oncologist in Atlanta, to discuss what the surgeon’s said and to make a plan for my treatment.

Beyond 8/4, I have no idea what August might hold.  I have a conference to go in the middle of August which I would like to make if possible, but that will depend on what the doctors say.  I do know that if I have the surgery up in Baltimore, it will likely not happen until after Labor Day, as Dr. Cameron is out of the office on vacation the 2nd half of August.  In deference to the folks at Hopkins, though, I really (REALLY) hope I can have the surgery down here in Atlanta.  It would be SOOOO much more convenient.  We shall see!

Merle

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