My first ever annual appointment with my surgical oncologist was very uneventful, as anyone would hope. He did a physical exam that lasted maybe 3 minutes and then was done. He didn't find anything and said he'd see me next year unless I found something of concern between now and then. I guess I should be doing self-exams, though it seems overkill with no breast tissue.
The more impressive part of the visit was with the Lymphedema specialist. First, I must give the James breast center huge KUDOS. I didn't have an appointment to see the Lymphedema specialist. I'd been meaning to make one for months. So I called them from the waiting room and told them I was in the office for an appointment with Povoski and they squeezed me in immediately after I saw the doctor. They were fabulous!
The specialist (who is a physical therapist) did all the measurements and said everything looked really good. I was slightly down from the last time I'd been in (which was . . . gasp . . . September). She said I had been managing the swelling very well and that I was due for a new glove in February. She did a really long treatment on my hand and arm which consists of a massage technique designed to activate the lymph system and get the fluid moving. It really helped and when she was done, you could hardly tell my hand was swollen at all. On my self-created swelling scale, it's probably a 1 out of 10 now. Going in to the appointment, it was about a 2 or 3. For some reason, I'm not very swollen this week. I have no idea why.
The PT and I talked about their group's pending move to the campus area which will be much more convenient for me. She also talked about the workout room they will have, the extra PTs, and some other services I may be able to get there, including some upper body workouts tailored just for me. I'm really looking forward to seeing them next time in mid-January at the new facility.
Ken noticed a sign in the doctor's office asking for volunteer survivors to give feedback to the James. The location for the feedback interview is in the same building where we work. I'll call the number tomorrow to see if they want to talk with me. I've got quite a bit of feedback to offer. I was much more impressed with Riverside's holistic assessment and consultation (that's where I got my second opinion) than the James' linear process (which I thwarted by making appointments I was advised not to make).
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