Rationalizing

Today I started my second round of chemotherapy.  Before hand I had a consultation with my oncologist.

From the beginning, I was offered a choice to have either chemotherapy plus radiation therapy or else chemotherapy plus surgery to remove my bladder+prostate.  The second alternative (which is not offered to the very old or weak) is the recommended one.  There is never the possibility of a "total cure" with radiation therapy since suspect tissues are left in place.  Also, there is "scarring" with radiation therapy.

Many years ago my father (now 96 years old)  had lymphoma.  I do not know all the details of his treatment, other than that it was effective.  I believe that there was radiation therapy and I have seen the mass of scars on his belly.  Those scars became infected on Christmas Day the last time he came up for Christmas (a number of years ago).  He and I had some quality time in the emergency room at Valley Medical that day.

Angelina Jolie famously had a preventative double mastectomy.  It would seem to take great faith in modern medicine to take those kinds of steps.  I find that I too, in the end took the doctors' best advice seriously.  I will now be able to join some of my elderly friends in an informal competition to see who can live and prosper with the smallest number of "unnecessary" organs. 

New Forest Pony, Dorset

I conducted a search of the Internet for a list of all organs unneeded to sustain life but the lists that came up were more "off the wall" than comprehensive.  Neither the bladder nor the prostate made the lists.  I am holding out for an actual vital social (rather than sexual) function for the vomeronasal organ.

Fun "bunny trail"(digression): The Flehmen Response

The "Infusion" RNs started with a round of blood tests to make sure that my liver and kidney functions were up to the challenge.  My oncologist is more worried about my kidneys so she has warned me away from Ibuprophen in favor of acetaminophen or even percocet.  Fine.

There were interesting protocols (liturgy) surrounding the administration of the chemotherapy.  After the blood test results were approved the drugs were ordered from the pharmacy.  The drugs were sent across the hospital via pneumatic tubes.  They were checked and scanned in with a cross scan of my wrist band.  Then a second RN double-checked the array of drugs against those that were ordered and signed off on them, once again scanning both the drug labels and my wrist band.  I was shown the list of drugs and the pile of IV bags and asked to approve them, just as if I could actually pass judgment on the actions of medical professionals.  I scanned the list and it all looked as I expected it to look so, of course, the sock puppet approved it.  I have now been through this ritual three times.

As usual, I slept through most of the infusions of various chemicals into my body. I felt drowsiness overcoming me from the moment I walked into the treatment room with Barb, so it was not anything medical involved.  Since working graveyard shift I find that I can fall asleep at will in certain situations.  Visiting in-laws...  Waiting for dinner...  Receiving infusions...

We got out around 5:00 PM for a total duration of about 6 hours of infusions.  Barb and I went to Ivar's for Alaskan Cod and chips for dinner.  We both added cole slaw sides to our orders and I added a small cherry Coke.  I ate my whole dinner.  Since then I have added a glass of cranberry juice and a root-beer float to my intake.  Part of the infusion is 1.5 liters of saline so there has been a couple of trips to the bathroom for extended "leak" sessions.  I have had a slight headache since my session at the Infusion Center but I medicated that and feel pretty good now.

Valley Med Cancer Center under Construction

 Speaking of the Infusion Center, there is a giant crater in the center of the Valley Medical hospital complex where the new Cancer Center will consolidate various departments from all over the campus (and elsewhere?).  Cancer is big these days and possibly even profitable to some.  Valley Medical is now a part of UW Medicine so in theory it is part of a top-of-the-line medical institution.  I suspect that the Cancer Center is part of a large UW Medicine development plan.  We have encountered some commuter traffic around Valley Med but nothing like exists on the freeways around Seattle and Bellevue.  Alan's commute was taking as much as two hours each way to commute to a job at Puget Sound Energy in Bellevue.  Then there is the parking.

I visited the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and UW Medicine when I went to get my second opinions on diagnosis and treatment.  They refused to tell me that I was perfectly well and needed no further medical treatment (ha, ha).  In fact, the UW urologist rated my cancer at "clinically" T-3, instead of the usual consensus that I am T-2.  Faith is one of the virtues around which this blog revolves.  I am being perfectly rational.  I am playing the odds.  I am using faith in accepting the judgements of my medical experts.  They told me that my treatment at Valley Med would be exactly the same as what I would receive at the SCCA.  My surgery will take place at the "surgery pavilion" at UW Medicine, so even that has similarities.

The traffic and parking at the SCCA and UW Medicine are stressful and cost money.  I am glad not to have to make that trip every day.

It is a really good thing that I am fully ambulatory.  Everywhere I go there is a lot of walking.