Good news~~still metastasized breast cancer but looks like long term treatable.

Although my treatment began immediately after my diagnosis, I did not see my new medical oncologist (MO) until today.  Prior to our move and up to the diagnosis, my team was in Vancouver. Treatment began immediately in Victoria and now my team is here.

Dick and I met with him this afternoon for almost an hour. Dick took notes while the doctor and I went over treatment plans, staging and prognosis. The last one is iffy at best because no one can say for certain but it seems that my cancer is treatable with no imminent death in the cards but rather I have years ahead. Good news for Dick too as the doctor felt there was no reason for him not to go to NZ as planned in November to begin the process of getting a new engine installed in Van Kedisi along with other work needed. He will plan to leave NZ in March to sail home via Tahiti and Hawaii. He was not too happy about the other option of getting VK home by ship at a possible cost of US$50,000! I can go to NZ in February for 3 weeks or so in between drug injections which will be every 28 days. The other drug is oral and is taken 21 days in a row with 7 days off. Maybe I can even meet him in Tahiti in May.

I will be monitored closely but for now we can relax a bit and enjoy our planned trip for a mini Aramco reunion next week. We will spend Thanksgiving north of Terrace with Andy and Mary and we will have time on the Nagata Family Homestead where Dick may even be assigned a project. For anyone who knows Dick, he loves a good project.

The not so good news is that the nerve damage I already have may not disappear. But on the other hand, it should stabilize and not worsen at least for the short term. I am on opioids for the pain it has created so I do hope for some changes. We visited the pain clinic last Friday at BCCA to go over my pain management and for now we do have a plan that is working. Though I did know that opioids work by going to the pain receptors rather than making me high it was good to hear it from  a professional.

We celebrated the good news by going to the Oak Bay Beach Hotel for happy hour. Today also I got to the half way mark for my 8 sessions of palliative radiation.