The Plan is in place. I feel calm and confident that we're making a wise choice by going to Boston and having Dr. Gargiulo do the surgery next week.
God is also reaffirming the fact that this tumor must be removed. It's growing again. My recent blood results were 0.7 then 2.2 then 5.3. Yesterday's was 7.4. As my friend Ronda said, "Get that mother out!"
Chris and I will fly to Boston on Tuesday, September 11. (Really, to Boston, on 9/11 and it's a Tuesday. Great, just great.) I have a pre-op meeting and my mom will fly up later that night.
Surgery is scheduled for 7AM, Wednesday, September 12th. It should take about 2 hours. I will not have to stay in the hospital overnight. We will stay at a hotel just around the corner.
Chris will stay with me until Sunday. It means he's missing a lot of work, which is difficult for him, the rest of the staff and most importantly the patients who will have to be rescheduled. But just like my office, OAL has been wonderful and understanding. I need him and everyone knows it. I'll be so thankful that he'll be by my side.
I have to stay in Boston for one week so I can see Dr. Gargiulo for a one week Post-Op visit and have my blood levels checked. Hopefully the hCG will go down as soon as the tumor is gone. My mom will stay with me the remainder of the time after Chris goes back to Lancaster. She too will be missing a lot of work. She's been so thankful to all my "Special Friends" who helped by taking me to and from chemo treatment all those months. Marcia was my right hand man. So Mommy has generously offered to take a week and half off to tend to me now. I'm so happy for the help.
That's the plan. Don't get me wrong, I would rather fly to Aruba and stay in a hotel there for a week, but I hear Boston's operating rooms are beautiful this time of year. I'll just be happy to be rid of this little fucker that's overstayed it's welcome.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Boston Meets Italy
There's nothing like flying to Boston and back in 24 hours. But in great Cooke fashion, Chris and I managed to cram a lot into one day. We wanted to get our money's worth after shelling out $700 in airfare for the day.
The most important part: the appointment. There's always a funny story when Chris and I travel. We arrive at Brigham and Women's Hospital but can't located Dr. Antonio Gargiulo's office. We head to the Help Desk where a wacko was happy to help. She had hair out to here (imagine how big I'm making my hands), a frizzy mess with eyeglasses tangled up in there. She's wearing a long skirt and a big nose. She's sounds like she's from Long Island, if you know what I mean. When we ask where Dr. Garguilo's office is she looks right at Chris and says, "Oh! Don't be jealous, but he's a real looka' - All the women love him. They say he's so handsome."
Chris just smiles and blinks at the lady. Great, thanks, what do you want me to do with that information, really just tell us what fucking floor he's on. Filling the silence, she follow up, "You'll wanna head to the third floor [flauw] and turn right." And so it begins.
Once we finally get to the office my stomach starts up in knots. I ask the secretary where the bathroom is and I camp out there for like 15 minutes. It wasn't pretty, but I just get so nervous. This is Big Girl shit and sometimes I can't handle it. Eventually we see Dr. Gargiulo and I immediately felt more calm. I think I like to be around smart people. Once he started talking I could tell we were in good hands. I feel as though things can not go totally awry if you have intelligent people making good, clear decisions.
He starts talking ... Yes, he can do the surgery. He's done hundreds of uterine resections. Yes, the left fallopian tube has to come out. But, yes, you will still be able to conceive. No, you don't have to stay in the hospital overnight, but it is a 2 to 4 week recovery. He did a wonderful job of "selling himself." We were really there to pick him more than he was there to pick us. I don't know that women are great at this, men seems to excel at it more: bragging without making it seems like bragging. He clearly and calmly stated he's the leader in this type of surgery, he's the Director of Robotic Surgery at the Harvard Medial Center, he's never a problem where he had to abandon using the robot halfway through and do an open surgery requiring a big cut. And he's never lost a uterus - meaning he's never had to do a hysterectomy because something went wrong. I was sold. Plus, he said this all in an Italian accent - because he's Italian, like from Italy Italian, not like the Rannazzisi family Italian. I've always liked pasta and pizza, but I've even more Pro-Italy now.
(Note: the man is fine looking, but the lady gushing at the Help Desk was unnecessary in my opinion. Let's put it this way; I wouldn't go out of my way to come up with a fake story and a fake interview just to check him out. I may or may not have done that to a certain bone doctor once, but that can't be verified.)
(Note also: No one can say his name. It's Gargiulo. Like Nicole Gargiulo that went to Smithtown High School. Say Gar-JEW-lo. If you grew up in Lancaster you can pronounce Stoltzfus with no problem, but Gargiulo seems to turn into Gar-GHOUL-ee-o around here. Not a lot of Italians running around with the Amish.)
We needed a day or two just to roll everything around in our brains. In great Chris fashion, we are taking our time, weighing all the options and not rushing into a decision Philly guy vs. Boston guy.
In the meantime, we had to cram in some history. Boston was, after all, a hot bed of activity during the Revolutionary War. We toured the USS Constitution, AKA Old Ironside. It's a 3-mast war ship built in the late 1700's and she still floats today. It was a great distraction from the heavy stuff of the day and Chris always enjoys learning something new.
On top of a history lesson, we had an amazing meal at a fun French Restaurant right along Commonwealth Ave, Deuxave. (Another tough pronunciation. They say Dew-AHV. I say DUX-eh-vee) Tomato, tomato, either way, it was delicious. Katie was in Providence, Rhode Island and came to Boston to meet us. Fun to laugh and talk, more proof there's nothing a bottle of red wine can't fix.
The most important part: the appointment. There's always a funny story when Chris and I travel. We arrive at Brigham and Women's Hospital but can't located Dr. Antonio Gargiulo's office. We head to the Help Desk where a wacko was happy to help. She had hair out to here (imagine how big I'm making my hands), a frizzy mess with eyeglasses tangled up in there. She's wearing a long skirt and a big nose. She's sounds like she's from Long Island, if you know what I mean. When we ask where Dr. Garguilo's office is she looks right at Chris and says, "Oh! Don't be jealous, but he's a real looka' - All the women love him. They say he's so handsome."
Chris just smiles and blinks at the lady. Great, thanks, what do you want me to do with that information, really just tell us what fucking floor he's on. Filling the silence, she follow up, "You'll wanna head to the third floor [flauw] and turn right." And so it begins.
Once we finally get to the office my stomach starts up in knots. I ask the secretary where the bathroom is and I camp out there for like 15 minutes. It wasn't pretty, but I just get so nervous. This is Big Girl shit and sometimes I can't handle it. Eventually we see Dr. Gargiulo and I immediately felt more calm. I think I like to be around smart people. Once he started talking I could tell we were in good hands. I feel as though things can not go totally awry if you have intelligent people making good, clear decisions.
He starts talking ... Yes, he can do the surgery. He's done hundreds of uterine resections. Yes, the left fallopian tube has to come out. But, yes, you will still be able to conceive. No, you don't have to stay in the hospital overnight, but it is a 2 to 4 week recovery. He did a wonderful job of "selling himself." We were really there to pick him more than he was there to pick us. I don't know that women are great at this, men seems to excel at it more: bragging without making it seems like bragging. He clearly and calmly stated he's the leader in this type of surgery, he's the Director of Robotic Surgery at the Harvard Medial Center, he's never a problem where he had to abandon using the robot halfway through and do an open surgery requiring a big cut. And he's never lost a uterus - meaning he's never had to do a hysterectomy because something went wrong. I was sold. Plus, he said this all in an Italian accent - because he's Italian, like from Italy Italian, not like the Rannazzisi family Italian. I've always liked pasta and pizza, but I've even more Pro-Italy now.
(Note: the man is fine looking, but the lady gushing at the Help Desk was unnecessary in my opinion. Let's put it this way; I wouldn't go out of my way to come up with a fake story and a fake interview just to check him out. I may or may not have done that to a certain bone doctor once, but that can't be verified.)
(Note also: No one can say his name. It's Gargiulo. Like Nicole Gargiulo that went to Smithtown High School. Say Gar-JEW-lo. If you grew up in Lancaster you can pronounce Stoltzfus with no problem, but Gargiulo seems to turn into Gar-GHOUL-ee-o around here. Not a lot of Italians running around with the Amish.)
We needed a day or two just to roll everything around in our brains. In great Chris fashion, we are taking our time, weighing all the options and not rushing into a decision Philly guy vs. Boston guy.
In the meantime, we had to cram in some history. Boston was, after all, a hot bed of activity during the Revolutionary War. We toured the USS Constitution, AKA Old Ironside. It's a 3-mast war ship built in the late 1700's and she still floats today. It was a great distraction from the heavy stuff of the day and Chris always enjoys learning something new.
On top of a history lesson, we had an amazing meal at a fun French Restaurant right along Commonwealth Ave, Deuxave. (Another tough pronunciation. They say Dew-AHV. I say DUX-eh-vee) Tomato, tomato, either way, it was delicious. Katie was in Providence, Rhode Island and came to Boston to meet us. Fun to laugh and talk, more proof there's nothing a bottle of red wine can't fix.
Did Someone Say Cosmo?
It's about that time ... the drinking time. Actually, I've been off the wagon for about a month now. It's easier to count the sober days than the drunk ones. (Just kidding, Mom. Don't flip out.) After months of not drinking, I'm now able to imbibe again. We thought it was worth some documention:
I don't know why this picture is so yellow, but that's the moment of my first drink (or two) in more than 6 months. Perhaps Miller Light was not the best choice, but you go with what you know. Chris refers to this as "M. Minus" - similar to when people call Lutherans "Catholic Light."
I don't know why this picture is so yellow, but that's the moment of my first drink (or two) in more than 6 months. Perhaps Miller Light was not the best choice, but you go with what you know. Chris refers to this as "M. Minus" - similar to when people call Lutherans "Catholic Light."
So the verdict?? Dee-lish-ous!! "So good when it touches the lips!" (Name that movie?) Despite being an alcohol-light-weight at this point, I did not get a buzz from two beers. Instead, I had a small headache the next morning. This is the difference between being 22 and 32. The chemo couldn't have anything to do with it.
But that's just a BEER...
So Joe Mitton shared my first COSMO with me at dinner at Macaroni Grill. He - typically an ice tea drinker - even upgraded to a Gin and Tonic just to celebrate with me. Bring on the booze, baby! I'm back!
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