A Decision and a Changed Opinion

After chasing Dr. Yamada's colleague for more than a week, I finally asked his coordinator if I could fax over my questions and have someone get back to me with the answers. Within 30 minutes, Dr. Yamada called and we discussed all of the issues I had raised, including adding treatment for the skull met that is bothering me. My conversation with him confirmed what I had felt from the beginning: If we were to choose a modality based on expertise alone, he leads the pack hands down. After speaking with Ed, we decided to go with Dr. Yamada and IGRT. I feel very comfortable with this decision and feel that I am in very goods hands -- with the exception of his colleague, but perhaps I won't have to deal with her very much.

His assistant called me at 7 p.m. last night to go over a few outstanding issues, and they are working on the insurance end of things. I have a simulation scheduled for next Tuesday, where they will create the plastic mask that holds my face and head in place for the treatment as well as the body pad for my pelvis. I believe the treatments will begin on November 17. With that in mind, I will be going for my scheduled Doxil treatment today, which will provide the three week "off" period that Dr. K was looking for.

The doctor we saw for the CyberKnife consultation coincidentally called last night to follow up and see if we had any additional questions. He had left a message before I got home from work and actually called again during dinner. I called him back today to relay our decision, and we spoke for 20 minutes. Although he lacks the experience of someone like Dr. Yamada, I came away very impressed with his patient skills. He stated that he felt the consultation did not go as well as he would have liked, which was why he was especially interested in following up with me. I told him it was the first time I had had a doctor reach out to me and I very much appreciated it. We discussed several aspects of my treatments, and he offered himself as a contact should I have any questions about any type of radiation therapy. I think he realized that he had not really been present during our meeting and made a serious effort to make up for that. I had made the return call dreading the conversation and actually ended up with a much more favorable opinion of him. After all, we all have our off days and doctors must have them as well. I told him that we had not ruled out CyberKnife as a future treatment option and that we would be in touch if necessary in the future.

So I feel like a large weight has been lifted off my back. I feel that I am in very competent hands and that Dr. Yamada and (most of) his team have my best interests in mind as they plan my treatment. Now to deal with the financial issues...

Thanks as always to everyone who kept us in mind as we went through this trying period. I feel I have a better understanding of the various options and I think getting a second opinion about treatments is a necessity. Now I can rest a little easier.