Its different for everybody

Yesterday I went to the doctor with a friend who was just diagnosed with breast cancer. She goes to a different hospital than I do. I found it interesting how different the treatment plans were for her vs. what i received. Some parts were the same but some were different. Her recommended chemotherapy is the same drugs administered differently than what I received. She is having more tests that I ever did before surgery. Needless to say, it was educational. It was nice not being the patient for once, and to be the support person and writer for answers to all her questions. It just reinforces that everyone's cancer is different and is treated differently.

Today, I get to call and deal with my appointments. Sometimes I think they do these things just to confuse us patients. (If we are confused, maybe we can't complain as much.) I have several different doctors who want me to come back and see them. Some of them say come back in X months and immediately you get a little reminder in the mail saying the date of your follow up appointment. Other doctors you never seem to hear from with a follow up appointment. The surgeon wants me to come back in December as a follow up to my June appointment. I called to ask and they said they aren't scheduling December appointments yet but I should have the date sometime in September. One of my other doctors wanted me to come back in October after my June appointment. I didn't hear anything and didn't worry about it. Then I was talking to her office and asked about the rescheduling and apparently they missed the note and now she doesn't have any openings in October so I go back into see her in September instead. So now in addition to remembering when I am supposed to go back and see my doctors, I also need to remember which ones schedule months ahead and which ones work on short notice.

I also have a follow MRI in a couple of weeks. When I scheduled it, I was told I needed a blood test due to the contrast agent and should go down to the lab to have it done. So I went. But inthe mail yesterday I received a reminder to go for my blood test. Now I have to call them and find out if I need more blood work. Grr. More confusion for us patients. Just to keep us on our toes.

Today's big excitment is I am going for a walk before working at home and going to my support group. How is that for an exciting life? Maybe its time for more pictures of the garden or the cat.