Amy,

It's not uncommon when you're trying to come to grips with your diagnosis to get to the "why me" stage. I remember thinking at the time about so many people I knew who seemed to have a much less healthy lifestyle than I did, and yet they somehow managed to avoid major health issues like cancer.

You may not see much of a "purpose" now when you are forced to stay focused on getting the right treatment and living one day at a time. However, as I look back on the period of time immediately following my treatment, there were things that seemed devastating at the time that turned out to be moving me in a different -- and much better -- direction. I never could have anticipated the positive developments, both in work life and personal life, in the years since then, many of which are somehow related to what I went through with cancer. On balance, I have to say that some of the best years of my life have been in the post-cancer period.

It's good that you will have a friend with you when you go for a consult -- it can be very useful to have another person helping to listen and ask questions at a time like this. Please keep us posted on how you're doing.

Cathy