First Consult with Dr. O'Shaughnessy (Jan 24, 2006)

Today was the long awaited (and somewhat dreaded) day to meet with Dr. Joyce O'Shaughnessy, our medical oncologist (Jim refers to her as the drug doctor). Our hope all along has been that Laurie might be able to avoid chemotherapy, recent pathology reports not-with-standing. So we were not anticipating the best of news in that regard. Actually the appointment went very well. Dr. O'Shaughnessy was very attentive and patient and spent over 2-1/2 hours with us answering our questions. The bottom line is that she considers Laurie to be in the best of all situations considering the fact that she has cancer. When all the treatments are added together, along with certain life-style changes (low-fat, healthy diet and exercise), she has every confidence that Laurie has a 98 to 99 percent chance of being totally cured. In fact, she came just short of guaranteeing that Laurie would beat this cancer! We certainly couldn't fault her for her optimism or encouragement! :-)

On a positive note, Laurie's cancer is extremely hormone receptive, which makes her an excellent candidate for oral hormonal therapies. Hormonal therapies, it turns out, give her the best chance of curing her particular type of cancer. We were also encouraged by Dr. O'Shaugnessy's affirmation of some complementary approaches to Laurie's treatment, including a focus on eating healthy foods, good nutrition, vitamins, and exercise. The downside is that in Dr. O'Shaughnessy's medical opinion, Laurie will also need some chemotherapy to get the best percentages.

We spent at least an hour talking about the various chemo drugs, combinations, and side effects. When the dust cleared, Dr. O'Shaughnessy recommended the shortest, least toxic combination of drugs we could have hoped for, with the confidence that they would accomplish the same positive results as the stronger and longer regimen. Of course, chemo is chemo, and that prospect is not pleasant, especially the losing-your-hair part, but the long-term, permanent side-effects appear to be minimal to nonexistent with the proposed regimen. In a case like this, we are happy to take the bitter with the sweet.

Now it's down to decision time. We will consider all the factors, ask a few more questions, and make a decision. If we decide to go the chemo route as recommended, the regimen would be four treatments three weeks apart (about 12 weeks total). Three weeks following that, we would begin Laurie's six weeks of radiation treatments. Lord willing, the process would be completely done by early summer.

We cannot express adequately our appreciation for all the support, encouragement, and especially prayer we have received from so many of you. Our hope is in the Lord, but it is much easier to walk this path with so many of you walking with us, encouraging us on the journey. Please keep praying, especially in the next few days as we rehash all we have heard and make our final decisions. We will keep you posted as those decisions are made.