Day 97
I had my follow up appointment with my new Oncologist today. I really like Dr. Hughes. She makes me feel comfortable and I am confident that she has my best interests at heart.
She and the nurse were both very happy with the progress my head is making. My stitches are scheduled to come out next week and if all goes well I’ll go in for my sim appointment the week after that. If Dr. Matthews (plastic surgeon) gives the go ahead I could start my radiation treatments by the end of this month. I told her that the first sim with the other Oncologist caused me a lot of anxiety and she told me that she is not going to have me laying on my stomach face down for treatments. She’s going to try to make me more comfortable. I’m very relieved. I had an extremely hard time getting through the last sim and it took days to bring my anxiety level back down. I don’t think that I could get through 6-7 weeks of that for 5 days a week for 30-40 minutes each day. I know I couldn’t do it without some sort of anti-anxiety medication. Just knowing that I won’t have to be in the uncomfortable and claustrophobic position during my treatments has already lessened some of my anxiety.
My parents took me to this appointment, so I spent the day at their house. After my appointment I took a walk down to their church to take pictures of the statue of Our Lady of Knock in the church yard. I’ve been wanting to for a while but circumstances such as lack of time or bad weather or not having my camera with me often intervened. Today the planets aligned and I remembered to pack my camera before leaving the house, the weather cooperated and I had plenty of time to take pictures so I’m happy. I think I’ll go back in a few weeks and maybe try for a morning photo to see if I can better capture the light and shadows.
Our Lady of Knock
Thank you for stopping by every day to read and comment. I love you all.
Love,
~ Carol Anne
I’m so glad you found a dr. that your comfortable with. Its very important. I meant to ask you this before but forgot; what is a sim? and who is Our Lady of Knock?
I met with my new radiologist today (what a cutie)!! and had the face mask made. Hopefully tomorrow they’ll call me to give me my schedule to start my chemo/rad. It would be great if I could start next week!
{{HUGS}} to you and keeping you in my prayers!!!
A sim is what the doctors at Cooper call the simulation appointment. It’s the one or two appointments where they make the mask and make a map of where they’re going to treat with radiation and do a final run through of what they’ll do during radiation treatments.
Our Lady of Knock is a representation of the Blessed Mother as she appeared in Knock, Ireland.
http://www.catholictradition.org/Mary/knock.htm
good report!!
Angel: Thanks chickie poo !!!
Hi Chickie,
Wonderful fof you that things are going so well with that new doctor. Its so good for you that you found one like that, she sounds like she will do her very best for you and that’s exactly what you need to hear. I love that statue and like everyone else I never heard of Our Lady of Knock. Keep taking those great pictures, its so nice to view them. Talk with you soon.
Hugs,
Suz
Thanks Suz! Okay this is for everyone reading … Are Roman Catholics the only folks who believe in apparitions of the Blessed Mother?
Hmm that’s a good question. I really don’t know for sure but I do know that the Greek Catholic and I believe the Greek Orthodox community also believe in that
as for anyone else, I’m not sure. I can tell you something that has happened here locally. We had an old Presbyterian church in the next little town its been there for years, then all of sudden there were pictures all over the glass doors of Virgin Mary. Couldn’t figure it out, no one ever seems to go there for any services and it just didn’t seem like it could be a Catholic church since there is one a few blocks away. 2 years ago they had the most beautiful nativity set out front that was so life-size and beautiful I don’t know how someone didn’t steal it. Finally they fixed the steps and put up a big white sign with silver letters saying Chapel of Our Lady of the Light. Underneath that sign are Egyptian symbols and Cairo appears and another name, are Egyptians Catholic or believing in the Virgin. I don’t know I just have a funny feeling about that church.
Hugs,
Suz
Egyptians are Coptic Christians, which is similar to Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copts
http://www.gotquestions.org/Coptic-Christianity.html