Dr. Needles is a go! He met all requirements and with some extra perks. One perk being the MRI location option. St. Johns Mercy has a medical facility off site that does scans / tests. It is really close to our home - less than 8 miles from home. It is actually the same location where I had my very first CT scan in October. My bloodwork can be done at that same location or the doctors office. Another perk was in regards to the emergency exchange - you actually are calling one of the oncologist cell phone numbers after hours not an answering service.
A thorough neurological exam was performed. Dr. Needles has great relations with Dr. Linette or "Gerry" as he would say. They work closely together in regards to patients and often refer patients to one another. Dr. Linette had already sent a note to Dr. Needles in regards to my care without me officially asking. It is also good to note that Dr. Needles is on the board at Barnes hospital as well.
As for the wait and see if cancer returns approach till I take the Temodar - he has absolutely no problem with it. He did ask for the list of what I am doing. Looking it over he said "I am not aware of any contraindication and certainly would not pass judgement on what you are taking." He mentioned something as well about a certain disease that has been found to have significant help / cure in what the Chinese use. I didn't write it down what he said as I felt it did not pertain to brain cancer but it was encouraging. Dave & I are content with this decision. I am elated! Today I was told that MoDOT will be shutting down different sections of hwy. 40 for a total of two years not one.
Dr. Needles does want me to have my April MRI at Siteman. He suggested that we not stick to the every 3 months approach and wait after each scan to make that decision. He wants to be very proactive in the event of growth and might suggest every two month scans. I jokingly told him that is not a big deal as we have already maxed out for the year with insurance. "Order as many as you like!" I will officially switch over mid April. I will have my June MRI with Dr. Needles as my oncologist.
Today was a good day. On to spring break fun!
5 comments:
Gram is very happy with the decision to go with Dr. Needles simply because of the distance and road construction stuff.
This will be a little easier on Gram and Stu.
Mr. Hicks who I asked prayer for is now with The Lord. Pray for his wife Terry at this time. They served on our local Young Life Committee.
Gram over and out.
Thank you, God! You (God) care about every detail! I like the fact that the 2 doctors think highly of one another, too.
Ya know, it looks like it's just going to be easier doing the medical stuff...yeh! God is our provider in every way!
I'm glad for you!!
Still praying!
Kate,
I'm so happy that decision is made, and especially that you feel so confident about it! What a great way to start such a special spring break week with your boys. LOVE the idea of the wishlist of activities. You all will make such great memories, and the boys are going to love having their lists saved for when they are older.
What a great mom you are, Kate!
I'm so glad you are continuing this blog. I look forward to reading and knowing what's happening with you regularly.
Love, Tiffani G
Kate:
I laughed out loud when I read the comment by your friend Erika about her daughter's request for a "live" cat..."live" as opposed to WHAT? I laughed even more when she said her husband would ABSOLUTELY NOT endure allergy shots....why did I laugh? Because MY husband endures allergy shots for our, not one, but TWO overly hairy cats! The MOLT CONSTANTLY! I had one of them up at work for a bath and a brush-out this week, and when I was done, one of my technicians walked by and glanced at the table and the mountain-high pile of hair I'd pulled off the comb. She actually thought it was a, well, er, um...a "deceased" patient! No,....just a giant hairball (at least it wasn't at home on my carpet!) I have mentioned to Mike on more than one occasion that if he was so allergic to animals that he SHOULDN'T have "window shopped" a veterinarian when he was perusing the singles' scene as to who to date. Erika, your daughter can come and visit our "live" cats any time! :) Kate, I, too, was overjoyed to hear about your good interaction with Dr. Needles and the close-to-home scan and bloodwork center. What an answer to prayer both NOW and in the future w/ the whole Hwy 40 disaster! Yippie! Hope you're having fun w/ the BassPro, GoKarting Extravaganza. Hopefully your sons aren't took kamikaze in their driving...good habits start young! We love you! Jobacks OUT!
Kate,
I am so glad for you. It sounds like Dr. Needles will be a great match. I would love to hear what else the boys have on their list for spring break! What a fun idea.
Love, Nancy Williams
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