Wake Forest: Fantastic Experience! Polar Opposite Dr. Experience! Heeeray!!!!

ROMPIN' STOMPIN' ROUNDUP HAPPY DANCE AT THE DRENNAN CORRAL!



We are so happy right now, about Wake Forest, and so sorry we didn't go there to begin with...that I don't know what to begin with!

We absolutely LOVED the new doctor--not even for his having the most amazing credentials and being a bladder cancer oncologist and temporary head of the NATIONAL Food and Drug Administration (well, that might be a negative).

But we loved him for coming in to the room, smiling, taking our hands, looking into our faces, into our eyes with the gentlest expression, talking really softly, with humility and kindness and empathy, telling Bill he is so glad to meet him and that he wants us both to know that he has all the time in the world to get to know us, and to listen to our concerns, and to be our helper and advisor in any way that we want him to be.

Um.

If you've been reading this blog from the beginning, you know that this is the extreme psychotically dramatic opposite of how Dr Wallbanger treated us at Puke. Wallbanger would walk into the room, after making us wait in the exam room NINETY MINUTES every time, not LOOK at us or speak to us, open the file and START READING THE FILE to familiarize himself with our case, while we sat there in weird silence, and then turn to us and say a bunch of mean stuff to us, refuse to check Bill's body for cancer, and tell us to give up, get out, and come back next fall.

Anyway, Im trying to keep this short.

Two issues: First, Bill happened to be really sick by the time we got there, which was terribly sad for how Bill felt traveling, but perfect timing, because the doctor was quite worried and is treating him for his immediate illness. Bill got a high fever by the time we were there, and hurt all over, and couldn't stand the light, and was nauseated and REALLY ILL. The doctor even mentioned hospitalizing him, but wanted to do something less dramatic. So they ran a bunch of tests and are going to figure out this immediate illness. Which could be a return of the dangerous infection which is resistant to drugs. Because Bill finished those drugs just yesterday, and if they didn't work, then that infection could be gaining ground.

Other issue: The ongoing cancer deal.

Outcome, after LONG conference with both Dr. Torti, the new Celestial Angel of Bladder Cancer, and a fellow doctor (we got TWO doctors today, and they listened to us then talked between themselves, examined the charts and tests and gave us a recommendation).

Bad news: Dr. Torti agrees that chemo is simply out. Bill's cancer just won't be defeated by chemo.

But Dr. Torti didn't just send Bill home with a "Sorry, dude" and a bogus appointment next fall.

Dr. Torti is doing the ONE THING I wanted more than any other: He is testing Bill's entire body for metastases!

THANK YOU JESUS!

Today, we got urine analysis, and a huge blood test, with more blood taken out than I've ever seen before. Have you seen these vials of gold liquid, which vials look EXACTLY like airline one-shot Southern Comfort bottles? They're full of what looks like bourbon, and they get filled up the top with blood. What the dickens????

So urine, blood. Tested. HOORAY!

Okay, next, Bill FINALLY got his FIRST lung xray! It's like a nightmare, the number of things the Pukesters did to kill Bill at Duke. NO LUNG XRAY? Dr. T was like, WHAT???? The lungs and the bones are the first places bladder cancer metastasizes to, so they should be checked.

DUH!

So a big, thorough, all sides cat scan of his lungs.

Which was great but, confidentially, kinda scared me.

When they were listening to his lungs, they were acting like something was wrong. They kept listening a long time. They both listened. They NEVER said, "Sounds good," and they said stuff like, "Did you have a wheeze before you had cancer?" and "You're out of breath all the time?" (MAJOR YES to that) and saying other such things that scare cowgirls.

THEN they ordered a COMPLETE picture of his entire trunk--WITH injection dye--to check his abdomen, pelvis, lymph nodes, all the organs in there, everything! Just like I desperately hoped and prayed!

AND they ordered a BONE SCAN! He takes dye, waits three hours, and they take pictures of all of his bones on his entire body.

I mean it sounds bad, but I was in ecstasy! FINALLY, we can get these fears out of the way! When you don't know anything, everything is scary.

So here's the plan.

We go back next Wednesday for the bone scan and the uber-thorough pictures of his entire trunk and all his organs (except brain).

Then on June 24th, we meet with Dr. T and have a personal conference in which he recommends the treatment strategy.

And maybe best of all, Dr. T is happy with the treatments occurring right here in Boone, with him as overseer. Wallbanger wasn't about that AT ALL. He said if you go to people in Boone, don't talk to ME about it. You're on your own with those people.

While, sadly and somewhat frighteningly, Bill is not a candidate for chemo any more, Dr. T said, the way we will probably fight is to do "very aggressive surveillance" and as soon as tumors occur, we will fight them vigorously.

He did say that, yes, unfortunately, tumors are very very likely to recur. But, he added, not every single person has recurrence. That gave us a little hope.

But he said, summarizing, tests can be done in Boone, but if something pops up, we can go to Wake Forest and he, Dr. T, will personally take care of it.

I am just so exhilarated with this new path.

Bill is probably exhilarated, but is in bed right now with body aches and fever and feels just miserable. When his test results come back, Wake Forest will call us immediately, like tomorrow, and we will already be in the battle.

A little different, wouldn't you agree, than being told, "Nuthin we can do. Go home. If you're still alive in the fall, come back for a crappy test that won't show anything."?

Wow.

Please tell everyone you know NEVER to go to Duke. Wake Forest has got it all goin' on.

Till the next drama.

Love and THANK YOU for your thoughts, prayers, wishes, whatever you gave--just reading this and thinking positively.

Love,

The Cow Pardnuhs