QUITE an Adventure!

The visit to the pulmonolgist was interesting; I think he was really taken aback when I showed him the tumor photo in all its glorious color.  He couldn't believe I never had a symptom.  But I didn't.  We had absolutely NO idea I'd ever present with Esophageal Cancer.  And such an advanced case, ai chihuahua.

Dr. S checked my lungs, and told me to be sure to have the oncologist contact him.  You see, if you do the radiation, there is a possibility that I'll lose more lung fuction due to scarring.  I'm just below 40%, and able to get around, albeit rather slowly, and definitely not in a sustained manner.  If you just met me and I was seated, you would never guess I had lung disease, unless it was a bad asthma day and I was having a hard time getting a complete sentence out between breaths.

One of the things I learned in my last go-round with cancer is that you HAVE to have all the doctors communicating.  And you had best have doctors that appreciate each other.  Every one of the doctors I have on my team know the others, either by reputation, or personally, and each has the greatest respect for the other.  Of course, I can't stress enough that your primary care doc really needs to be the conduit for everything.  He ensures that everyone gets your records and understands the challenges inherent in underlying conditions, such as lung disease.

As my sister and I drove home from the pulmo, I told her if Mom was alive, she'd probably tell me that I was having QUITE the adventure.  Whenever Mom was going through something difficult, once it was over, she'd tell us, "well, I certainly have had quite the adventure."  Kind of like she'd just scaled Mt. Everest, or perhaps discovered life on Mars, but actually, if you think about it, it all really is an adventure, and like all good adventures, if you can survive it, you're stronger, smarter and happier.

Yep, it's been an adventure so far. :)