first appointment at the Cancer Clinic in Victoria

I saw the oncologist in Victoria yesterday to go over my treatment regimen and schedule. Unfortunately, I didn’t get it all confirmed, since they are still waiting for the result of one portion of the biopsy. However, I do know that I will be starting after Christmas. The treatment plan will either be:

FEC:

F	Fluorouracil
E	Epirubicin
C	Cyclophosphamide

Or ACTT:

A	Doxorubicin (ADRIAMYCIN)
C	Cyclophosphamide
T	Trastuzumab (HERCEPTIN)
T	Paclitaxel (TAXOL)

The first treatment is for if I am HER-2/neu negative. It will be once per day for every three weeks for 18 weeks, then Tamoxifen daily for 5 years.

The second treatment is for if I am HER-2/neu positive. It will be 8 cycles (3 weeks/cycle), followed by 13 cycles of Herceptin, then Tamoxifen daily for 5 years.

The doctor should let me know this week which one I will receive. 

As I was writing this, the Cancer Clinic in Nanaimo called to give me my first appointment. I have to see the clinic here for the initial consultation and blood work on January 8th. The next day, I receive my first round of chemo. Yikes. There's no time wasted with this system. A person can't even hide out and pretend everything is OK. If I start on the 9th of January, that means bye-bye hair around the 19th. The kids and I are heading to Victoria on January 5th to the wig place at the cancer clinic to try on some new hair styles.I wish I could back up time by a few months. No, wait. I don't want to do that. I'd hate to go through all this again. No thanks. Let's just get going.