Longer, bring everyone up to speed...

I'm sitting in infusion therapy, with the TV on, my laptop in my lap, the head of the bed cranked up, under a blanket,with a blood pressure cuff on my right bicep, and an IV running into my left wrist/arm. I have a makeshift splint made of a plastic spoon on the outside, and a plastic knife on the inside, taped in place, to keep me from bending my wrist and cutting off the flow of chemo into my arm.

The bone scan shows no sign that the cancer has spread in that direction. That is good news. When talking with my oncologist, he assured me that there are several studies that showed no benefit from finding breast metastatic disease earlier. He also gave copies of the write-up of the studies. He said he himself had a hard time believing it, but that it seems to be true. He said that most likely the cancer was in my lungs already when I was first diagnosed, but was microscopic, so didn't show in the scans, or ex rays taken at that time. the previous chemo was intended to catch and destroy any of that kind of tiny tumors, but it didn't work in my case.

He will want to monitor my reaction to the chemo by repeating the CT scan in about 6 weeks. My treatment will be ongoing, consisting of being given a chemo drug until it stops being effective, or the side effects outstrip the benefits, at which time I will start on a course of some other chemo, until...and so on, and so on, and so on...That I should live my life to the fullest, and not treat myself like an invalid.

I'll be returning in 3 weeks for my next treatment. I told him I was exploring other, homeopathic treatments, and he said to make sure I told him what I was going to be taking,as some chemos didn't work as well with some supplements.

I'm going to apply for Social Security disability, since This is chronic, and I won't be able to work...