After I had time to rest and heal from the first procedure, I went back for my follow up appointment to find out the next step and where we go from here.
We have to be aggressive and keep moving, who knows how long this has been festering inside of me...
Its quite terrifying to think about and I'd like it out of me sooner than later.
Dr. Levine looked me over, asked a few questions and advised me that I had at least 2 more surgeries needed and as soon as possible. Dr. Nguyen told me I was a T1 N2B MO.
This basically means I am a Type 1, multi-node, 2 modality cancer case. Which is good news, except for the next few months being complete hell on earth.
We then talked about human vs. robotic surgery and he advised that my best option for less error, would be with the robot.
I was then sent to meet with a Dr. Jameson, a specialist, and one of the surgeons operating the da Vinci robot on his team, and was there to give me my options and there were going to be only 2 of them.
Dr. Jameson told me alot of younger people my age are getting this type of cancer, and its shocking how many don't know they have it. What I have is 90% curable, I just have to put the time and patience in.
Option #1 Chemo, then radiation over 10 weeks, then neck dissection surgery to remove 2 lymph nodes.
Option #2 Remove the rest of my tonsil and have a look around a few areas. I'll be there overnight for this procedure as its more invasive than the last and they need to keep me for observation. I'll go home, rest for a few weeks, and then have neck dissection surgery to remove the 2 lymph nodes and see how messy it might be in there. The results from this operation will determine if I'll need chemo or not later on. Then I heal for 4 weeks and afterward, its 6 weeks of radiation treatment--at least being spared with a lower dose. I'll undergo those treatments Mon-Fri, and will stay with Sheila's grandparents, who thank god, live 24 min from UVA vs. the 1hr 19min from where I live.
Option #1...which from what he told me, would be more punishing to my system, since it would require to have Chemo introduced upfront.
The doctor knew I had a heavy decision to make and basically told me, (w/o really saying it) if I was his brother, he'd suggest I choose Option #2.
I've decided to go for Option #2.
Dr. Jameson told me I wasn't leaving just yet, and was sending me right over to another facility at the main campus to meet Dr.s Orcutt, Wilson, and Read at the Radiation Oncology dept.
But first, we had to get me scheduled for the removal of the rest of my tonsil. I'll be back for some pre- surgery appointments this week, then go back under July 11th.
To be continued...
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