August 17th 2007
Hi Gary,
Just to let you know, my oncologist has arranged for me to have a C.T. scan early September so you will have the report and everything when I visit you on the 25th September.
Also I have been curious – yup “in the middle of the night scary dark thoughts” – if, a big if, this osteoscarcoma grows back, will it be in the radial again? or can it pop up in any part of the body again?
Also, is it the first year or two years or ” x ” years are the most likely to have this re-occur?
I am just telling everybody I am “all clear” and they all ask about it coming back and it freaks me out…….. and gets me thinking dark thoughts again. I then feel like paying $200 + to have a private x-ray whenever these thoughts get me just to re-iterate to myself I am clean.
Are you also able to give me a programme of visits/x-rays that will occur over the next two years (if there is one) to assure both of us I am all clean? Obviously don’t worry about this till I see you on the 25th when it would be good to take it home with me and the answers to the above questions as I am bound to forget the next time I see you, as this mushy chemo brain syndrome is and has made me so forgetful ! Honestly, I am 10x worse than a “dumb blond” , the things I have done and forgotten……………
His reply:
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for your e-mail.
Regarding the follow-up, I will be scheduling visits every 3 months for the first two years (as this is the time when the tumour is most likely to recur if it is going to at all), then every 6 months until 5 years, then every year until 10 years post resection. Each visit entails a check by me, an X-Ray of your arm, and a Chest X-ray if oncology are not X Raying your chest.
The tumour can recur in your arm (<5% chance), or in your lungs. It is very rare for these tumours to spread anywhere else.
I hope this is helpful, and I look forward to seeing you on the 25th.
Regards
Gary