It's back to the beginning. I got a call from the social worker at OHSU on Thursday delivering some bad news for oncology patients... or at least some of them. I was delivered the message that my oncologist was leaving the OHSU practice. That means Dr. Luoh is no longer my doctor! I am so bummed. Turns out he's not going far. In fact he's moving back to the Veteran's Hospital. I know that he's been "moonlighting" over there. So on Friday, I received a letter in the mail stating that Dr. Luoh was leaving effective July 1. It also states that Dr. Luoh was on "loan" to OHSU and will now be going back to the VA hospital full time. When I was talking with the social worker on the phone the previous day, she said that his nurse was in shock. I told her that while I knew his heart belonged to the VA, I was soooo happy that this didn't happen during my chemo sucky treatments. It would have devastated me to have to change doctors in mid process. I sure don't envy anyone going through chemo now and having to also change doctors. While I was supposed to pick up with him in September for hormone therapy, it's not as intense as the chemo part. The letter included a statement from the head of the department and then a letter from Dr. Luoh. His part went:
My Dear Patients:
It has been my great honor to work with you at the Oregon Health & Science University Breast Clinic at the Center for Health and Healing. Thank you for the trust that you hae placed in me and my staff at the Knight Cancer Institute. I am a faculty member at OHSU. Few of you know that I am actually a full time Medical Oncologist at the Portland VA Medical Center. I have been offering you my care as an exchange of service between OHSU and the VA. As of July 1, 2012 my work at the outpatient breast clinic at the Center for Health and Healing will end and I will shift my full time responsibility back to the VA Medical Center.
I am grateful for the opportunities to work with you. A group of respected medical oncologists have been assembled to take over your care. They will continue the journey that you and I charted together. You are in my thoughts and I will cheer you on in your fight against breast cancer.
Makes me want to enlist and then get out so I can be a patient at the VA! Ha! It was a nice little note he put in and goes to show he's a great doct. or. So now I have to pick a new doctor. - so it's like I am starting all over again. Fun times.
Tomorrow I have some pre-op tests and I have my pre-op appointment with Dr. Thaker, the reconstructive surgeon. I can't believe in less that two weeks I'll have my surgery and then I'll be rid of this ridiculous cancer. Well, I hope so... meaning that the chemo-sucky got all the other "floating" matter circulating in my body. It's surgery time... then recovery time and then radiation time.
While I am not looking forward to the surgery, I am looking forward to it. I want to be healthy again... but I wish it didn't have to come to a surgery taking away my breasts. I'm not upset or anything... but it just sucks. But in the end I will be cancer-free and I will have bigger boobs. I was trying on some bras this morning and thinking... I won't need these anymore in less than 14 days! Ha!
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