February 3, 1997 – Oncological Consult
Finally, one of my girls was recovered from the horrible virus that has struck our community, but we still had the other one at home. Having the girls around makes strategic conversations a little difficult. However, we were scheduled into Dr. Gullion this morning and I got T. W. from my conscious evolution group to stay with J. J. and L. once again consented to be present at the consultation with us.
We sat down with Dr. Gullion and he was wearing a pin shaped like a heart over his pocket. He was tall and had a very welcoming smile. However, due to the seriousness of my illness, he was a bit serious himself. He sent the others out of the room for a few minutes while he examined me.
When the others returned to the room, he asked me what was wrong (as if he didn’t know) and I explained that I had a stage four bladder cancer that was highly active along with carcinoma in situ and some dysplasia and atypia cells. He was impressed with my understanding, and proceeded to write out my diagnosis and treatment alternatives “Patient Communication Sheet.”
You have: Papillary transitional cell carcinoma, Grade IV/IV T2 (T3a), N0, M0
Treatment:
- Radical Cystectomy – standard therapy
- Neoadjuvant therapy – Bladder sparing
Chemotherapy – MCV x 2 cycles followed by radiation: 4000 rads with cisplatin (2 cycles). Then re-evaluate with cystoscopy and biopsy. If (-) – radiation – close follow-up. If (+) – surgery.
While this was slightly different than the Shipley protocol as I understood it, I could see that he had done his homework after speaking with Dr. Rossman.
We continued to ask questions (see Appendix 2, available on request), and left with the feeling that radical cystectomy was the way to go. We discussed both options with J. and L. over lunch. During that time, I decided to go to their house with them in order to use their Jacuzzi bathtub. As we passed the tennis courts, I was filled with grief, as I surely would rather be playing tennis. That night I was starting to come down with a cold, which my wife treated homeopathically.
This is a good day to take just a minute and go see the amazing trailer to The Truth About Cancer – A Global Quest… it will blow your mind: