Monday, August 16, 2010

Sloan-Kettering Visit

Nicole and I are back from a trip to NYC and Sloan-Kettering. Sloan has one of the best cancer centers and research facilities in the world, so we figured why not have an enjoyable few days in the city and get a second look from Sloan?

We sent all the same records, reports, and films from the Charlotte docs up to Sloan. The doctor was a nice guy and ran us through everything from the beginning, providing his commentary and experiences as he went. We really didn't learn anything new from him, just a different perspective. One major update we did pick up from him....

was the arrival of the Oncotype score, which we had sent to Sloan and received while there. Nicole scored a 25, which is pretty much right in the middle of the chart, and that translates to an average recurrence risk of 17% ( I stress 'average,' the range is quite broad and goes from 13 - 20%). So faced with a 17% average recurrence risk, and the knowledge that Chemotherapy along with Tamoxifen could take that down to 10-12%, the doctor there recommended chemo, and it's looking increasingly likely Nicole will have it.

So with that said, tomorrow is surgery #2, a cleanup of surgery #1. After that, she will be left to heal for a month before treatments begin. 4 rounds of chemotherapy, one every 3 weeks, followed by 6 weeks of radiation, followed by years of hormone drugs. The timing and sequence of treatment isn't official, but it likely won't sway much from the above.

As for the blog, you can see from the timeline, my posts will be less frequent as time goes by. We will be doing our best to live a 'normal' life around these treatments, and there will be a certain routine for awhile as Nicole returns to work and we check off the necessary milestones. I will definitely keep everyone updated as things change and as to Nicole's reaction to treatments.

Thanks for the continued thoughts, prayers, and support. I certainly feel like Nicole is battling this thing with an army beside her, and I have no doubt the optimism created in her mind from all of you can only help Nicole decide she's just not going to lose.

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