I just got off the phone with a Auditor from the State Unemployment Tax office that has been auditing some of my clients on and off for years. She told me, in tears, that she is going to her FIRST radiation Tx for enlarged limp nodes and "mouth cancer" tomorrow and wanted to know what to expect. I was floored as I didn't know she even had our cancer. I started asking the usual questions and I found out quickly that she was totally in the dark to say the least and therefore naturally scared to death. She has had the mask already made, etc but she doesn't know squat about anything. She also has no immediate family and is still recovering from a brain tumor which I was aware of. Bottom line, I rescheduled my AM clients and I am going with her tomorrow. I just hope it's not as bad as I fear.

David,, you are such a nice guy and being nicer by going with her. She's like the rest of us, Never heard of it until you get it. I feel sorry for her being alone and no one to comfort her. I know that feeling but do have family about 50 miles from me.

David - you truly are one of our special angels! How great that you were able to re-schedule and go with her. I'm sure it means so much to her to have a caring person with her.

David, you never cease to amaze me. What a wonderful thing you are doing. Your friend could not have a better person on her side.

Jerry

Yet another wonderful example of why this is such an excellent site!

That`s it David you have gone to the head of the class...boy your momma did agreat job to bring up such a kind and caring man.Tell her thank you from us.
If you lived in the Atlanta area you would have more clients than you could handle when I had finished telling all my clients and friends about the wonderful accountant with the BIGHEART.
You are certainly adding some jewels to your crown as my Baptist friends tell me!

David, you are the best person to go with her! I am sure she is so thankful to have you as a friend. Please let us know how it goes.

David,
You are such a good example to us all. You constantly give advice and encouragement with your heart. The time and care you put into the presentation you made Thursday at Moffit will benefit patients with OC and other conditions for years to come after the students you addressed become doctors and enter practice. And as a toppper, you return to work and cancel the next day's work to be able to physically give moral support to an aquaintance.
Please do let us know her progress and tell her that you are not her only friend. We are all pulling for her to have a good outcome and an easy battle.

Still filled with many unanswered questions, I met my new best friend at her house at 8:30 am Friday. She was waiting in her driveway when I got there. We drove to the cancer center and while waiting she asked me a million questions which I didn't want to answer until I talked to her doctor to see what was really going on. Well that wasn't much help either. Every time I asked him a question I was treated like someone with horns growing out of my head. He was very defensive and no I wasn't being impolite. Anyway I soon learned that this wasn't her first Rad tx day and she was really there for the doctor to tell her what he thought should be done. She previously had been treated for breast cancer and had a distant met to her brain which was also treated by a Gamma Knife. Since I had never heard of that ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma_Knife ) I ask and I guess that is where my friend thought she had already had the mask made since they use a mold to keep the targeted site stabilized during treatment.

He went on to tell her, with his back to me, that he now thinks her breast cancer has spread to her neck lymph nodes ( her neck is very swollen and her breathing and voice are also affected) and he wanted to begin immediate RT (not IMRT) on her neck. He also told her that she would only have minor external redness to her neck and MAYBE a slight internal throat irritation. Whoa I said to myself, and I started asking him questions like, Has anyone done a biopsy and confirmed what type of cancer? NO, I don't need to, I know what it is..How many nodes are affected and how big are they ? ... I don't know and it doesn't matter...Why are you going with RT as opposed to IMRT...Don't need to use IMRT when RT will be just as effected..How many RT Txs?..5 weeks and we'll see if it is working.

He set her up to have a dry run Monday (tomorrow) and we left. Now I know enough to be dangerous when it comes to advising people about SCC but I don't know anything about breast cancer so I told her that maybe she should seek a 2nd opinion and she asked if I could get her an appt with my RO, Dr Trotti at Moffitt. I went back to my office and looked up Gamma Knife and then e mailed Dr Trotti and a few other experts for help. Dr Trotti called me within an hour and said he would set up a 3 way conference call with a breast cancer expert from Moffitt if I wanted. After telling all what I knew and answering many questions, I was told that Moffitt would probably do the same thing and they explained why. I called my NBF and she said that she had just gotten off the phone with her doctor and he told her that he had called Moffitt and they agreed with his Tx approach and she knew that he only did that because I had questioned him and for that she was tearfully thankful. I told her of what I had learned and she felt very relieved.

So it's back to her local cancer center Monday for the set up and she doesn't even have to have a mask made but her doctor did give her a prescript of Valium to calm her down which she had already filled and started !!. I still am suspect about her RT side effects but Trotti told me that her doc can angle the beam to minimize the damage but I would think that would minimize the good kill as well. Oh well, at least I'll know what to tell her if it does affect her more than she's being told.

David - You have done so-o-o-o much to help but I still worry about the "no biopsy" decision as well as the RT side effects. The way the doctor treated you seems a little paternalistic to me - you know that "I know best, leave everything to me" attitude and not at all the respect and consideration you should have been given. Your new best friend is certainly fortunate to have you in her corner and you did get things moving!