And the winner is...

Yesterday afternoon, I met with a surgeon from MD Anderson, which is rated as the top cancer hospital in the country. Her name is Dr. Rourke. (You read that like Tattoo from Fantasy Island, didn't you.) I'd say that she's around my age and full of piss and vinegar and no nonsense. I liked her immediately. Not only did she echo the same findings as Dr. Hubbard had, she also drew me pictures. Anyone that knows me knows that I love pictures. She made lists and charts and drew boobies and examples of the types of surgery. She explained in further depth what type of treatment I could expect. Her opinion was:

1: Chemo

2: Surgery (To remove breast(s) and put in expanders)

3: Radiation

4: Final reconstructive surgery

In her words, "tissue, implants and radiation do not play well in the sandbox". I had wanted to have chemo first, so this plan wasn't a concern. She did mention that if surgery is done first, there can be issues with lymphedema if all of the lymph nodes are removed. She said, "I'd clean you out - lymph nodes and all." Chemo, then, would be "garden variety" and wouldn't be catered to my specific situation - only because there wouldn't be anything left inside of me to monitor in terms of progress. She also indicated that having chemo first gives patients something tangible to measure in terms of success. They can see and feel that the tumor has reduced. Medically, though, doing chemo before surgery or vice versa doesn't increase a person's chance for survival - it's simply preference.

Both she and Dr. Hubbard mentioned that many women use their own tissue. Well, smack my ass and call me happy! I have a stockpile that is ready for the harvesting! Have at it! She wasn't sure that I had enough gut fat for a full set. This, of course, was on the heels of her telling me that I was "thin". I said, "Did you just call ME thin?" She laughed and said, "If I can feel your ribs, it counts and you're thin." REALLY?!? Have you SEEN me??

She recommended that I meet with the one of the oncologists there. I had an appointment with Dr. Nelson today. He looks like a cross between my brother-in-law, Rob, and my distant cousin, Leon. He was very nice and also shared the same opinions as both Dr. Hubbard and Dr. Rourke had. He explained a bit more in detail what the types of chemo would look like and what the timeframe would be.

Chemo - Round 1:

Once a week for 12 weeks

Chemo - Round 2:
Once every 3 weeks for 12 weeks

Total time = 6 months

Dr. Rourke had also mentioned that it would be approximately a month to recover from the initial surgery plus 6 weeks for radiation. After THAT - I'll have reconstruction, which should take another month or so. For those keeping score, this puts me into the beginning of 2013. It's just crazy to think about and hard to fully absorb but I'm ready to get going...

I asked Dr. Nelson today how long it would be before I could start chemo. He said that I could start as early as next week. I have my bone/CT scans this Friday, so we scheduled an ECG to make sure that my ticker is ticking nicely and surgery to have the medi-port installed. In a nutshell, this will keep my veins from blowing throughout treatment and will make the whole chemo process a little more efficient. Yay for efficiency.

My chemo will start next Thursday. I will start to lose my hair 1-3 weeks after my first treatment. This means that I will be Kojak-esque the day after that first clump falls. I ain't playin'. It's coming off. Who knows? I may totally rock the bald look! Who loves ya' baby, indeed!

So, after all of my meetings with various doctors, I've decided that I am going to stick with MD Anderson for the full range of treatment - including surgery. It just makes sense. It'll suck to tell Dr. Hubbard "thanks, but no thanks" but the sum is bigger than the parts here. I think it's the best approach for me.