Day 4

We will be leaving shortly to head down to MSKCC for treatment #4. I was going to write “treatment #4 of 37” but that just sounds so daunting! As so many of you have lovingly advised, I am trying hard to simply take one day at a time.

Just scheduling these treatments can become a full-time job, mostly for Barry because I am still relatively easily confused and/or frazzled. The main challenge is getting the timing of the chemotherapy and radiation treatments correct (which both take place each Tuesday and Friday). Ideally, the gemcitabine should be infused two to three hours before the radiation. But these two are handled by two different groups, the medical oncologists and the radiation oncologists. They are even done in different buildings, the chemotherapy at 353 East 68th Street (between First and Second Avenues) and the radiation at 425 East 67th Street (between First and York Avenues). I am spending far too much time staring at the list of all the appointments on the MSKCC patient portal, which only leaves me dizzy. I am quite fortunate to have an expert radiation biologist navigating all this for me as well as chauffeuring me to the appointments.

Meanwhile, enjoy the music!

Love,

Rebecca

Love is Just a Four Letter Word (Joan Baez)