Meeting My Care Team

On Monday morning I waited impatiently for someone to call me. No one did. By 11am, I couldn't wait anymore and called the cancer center my PC had referred me. They had no referral from my PC. This was not a surprise to me. My PC's office is generally terrible. I called them and received the rudest treatment. The woman on the phone insisted the referral was sent. I asked her please to just send it again. Then I realized the problem. The oncologist referral was for a doctor in a different hospital group than my PC was part of. My referral went to the wrong cancer center.

Once I was able to speak to the cancer center and get the referral, everything started to fall into place. I was given an appointment for Wednesday that would last half a day. I would meet my Oncologist, Dr. SG, my surgeon, Dr. TG, and radiologist, whom I can't remember his name, and leave with a treatment plan.

Waking up Wednesday morning, I was a mess. My husband came with me to the appointment. As soon as we were settled in a treatment room, I started crying. The oncologist came in, took one look at me, and said 'We can fix this.' It was the best thing I've ever heard and a sense of calm came over me. She was like a ray of sunshine. She explained the different types of breast cancer, the treatments for each, the complications, and what specifically applied to my case. She would be going to 'tumor board' with the surgeon, radiologist, and doctors from three other hospitals to review my cancer and develop my specific plan of treatment, While I waited I met with my nurse navigator, Anne, and a social worker who gave us advice on how to tell our children. I was given binders of information and a care package from a local breast cancer nonprofit.

I left the appointment knowing I would be doing four rounds of chemo (taxoterre and cytoxan), followed by a lumpectomy, and then 3 weeks of radiation. Before chemo could start, I needed an MRI, bloodwork, and a meeting with the chemo education nurse.

I felt so much better now that I had a plan.