New York, New York

On Thursday I flew to New York for the day to get a second opinion at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center from a sarcoma specialist. Sarcomas like mine are a rarer form of tumor, and there are fewer sarcoma centers and specialists in the U.S. than specialists in other types of cancer, so I thought it important to get the second opinion from a sarcoma specialist rather than another "regular" oncologist.

The trip was fun-filled, starting with a two hour delay on the runway in Richmond, awaiting word from La Guardia that the high winds had died down enough for us to land. I had planned on going to the metropolitan Museum of Art for a visit to the Temple of Dendur, my favorite place pretty much anywhere, but the delay effectively killed that idea, as I made it to MSKCC with about a half an hour to spare before my appointment time.

My appointment was with another woman oncologist (yay) who was actually recommended by my own gyn/onc. They had talked about my case at a dinner a few weeks earlier, so she had some familiarity with me, as well as her specialization, so I felt that I was in good hands. She was particularly encouraged (and encouraging) about the recent CT scan compared to my first one, and she thinks that the one area that got bigger may actually be some necrotic tissue thrown off by the baby tumor as opposed to growth of the tumor itself, which would be even better than the original interpretation. We can't know for sure, but I have to say I like her theory better!

She told me we were only at step one and I need to be prepared for a long journey, especially with the metastases, but feels that the cancer can be beaten. Her general opinion was that I need more chemo to keep moving forward with the good results we've achieved so far before we move to surgery, so after she and my Dr. speak I will most likely get the word to continue chemo, which I sort of felt would be the decision all along. I already have my next chemo cycle scheduled to start on 2/23 (next Monday).