I knew we'd be ok when i saw the KY plates

They tell you that when cancer enters your life....you become an expert in things you never knew existed. It is so very true. you become and expert in Hippa ppwrk and you become best friends with your local pharmacist. you get on a first name basis with all of the 'back door' personnel...and you become an expert in the lay of the land of a hospital building.
Yesterday was hubby's first appt. at the James (really it isn't AT the james..a medical building rather than the hospital) anyway...finding the building was easy enough....navigating the parking garage was quite another story. a standard setup to be sure but...in my laywoman's world made absolutely NO sense. hubby has trouble breathing outside when it is humid....so....i start going in circles trying to find a spot nearest the elevator....as i go up and up i can feel him getting irritated with me that i am passing up far away spots. the closer to the top we get...the 'close' spots are reserved for the docs and then the next level is all handicapped. He says to me....'why don't you JUST take a spot'....i say...'i'm trying to get you close to the elevator so you don't have to walk so much outside'....ah....Venus and Mars...i'm sure all my girlfriends can relate...
anyhoo...
i find a spot close to the elevator...we get parked...well, after i pull in and back out twice (all the while making hubby even more pleased with me) we get out and walk toward 'the' elevator....getting closer i see a large sign indicating...none other than....NO freeking elevator on this level...we need to WALK either UP or Down a level.....i secretly say to myself...oh yeah...who is the bad parker NOW??? hu??
perfectly pumped up in my 'selfdome' we mosey into the building...walk across a sky way,,,go down an elevator ...go to the reg desk....pays our money and back up we go....i didn't leave the reg lady without getting the scoop on the BEST place to park...she says to me Always on 2B....dully noted! see..those backdoor folks are Golden...
up to dr. villalano's we go.
get signed in
get weighed
get poked
get the standard list of questions...you know..like the classic...
'how are you feeling'....
ok, this one always makes me want to....want to....strangle them with their stethoscopes.....
how on earth do they expect my husband to answer that question?????
oh i'm feeling as if i have not a care in the world....
nothing could be finer than to be in caroliner in the morning.....
here comes the sun here comes the sun....
...
all the standard stuff out of the way...
the dr's FELLOW comes in first. if you recall i educated you all on what a FEllow is....he/she is the golden of the golden backdoor folks.
ours was very friendly....hubby thought he looked like michael phelps a little bit...hubby gives the details of his journey this past year and when we get to the part about being at Vanderbilt with Dr. Sandler...our lovely fellow says to us...
'so...you saw dr. sandler?'...i pipe up and say...'oh yes, he referred us to dr. villalono saying that they were very close'....
the fellow says 'really????'
i say 'yes'...secretly thinking ok now that i've named dropped you HAVE to help me damn it....
the fellow proceeds to tell us that..no, dr. villalona wasn't close with dr. sandler....that IN FACT...
dr. sandler isn't the premier oncologist in the Midwest
he isn't the premier oncologist in the the US
he IS THE PREMIER-kingpin-all that and a bag of chips oncologist in the ENTIRE WORLD!!!
our jaws dropped right there...
the fellow says..'was he unassuming?'
ok, sometimes there is something called an understatement...
this was one of those times....
the fellow told us that he had done a residency at 'vandi' and he asked the fellow that was working with dr. sandler...
the IT fellow of course!!!!!!!!!!

on with it mother...i can hear my daughter saying that now...

we do wind up meeting with dr. villalano...i'll call him miguel from now on ...cuz..you know..the poor man will be on a first name basis with me whether he wants to or not!! he was pretty standard when it came to his approach... they all make sure that you are clear ...absurdly clear about your 'situation'....they dance around it for a while until we admit...yes...doctor...yes doctor...we KNOW THIS SUCKS!!! it will be OK... just put some boxing gloves on already..!!

hubby qualifies for a trial running right now at OSU.
It is a phase 2 study
with 3 arms
and is not blind
(do i sound like the expert to you now???)
the study lasts as long as there is no progress in teh tumors and the side effects are no worse than anything else that my husband has withstood.
hubby just has to get some preliminary testing out of the way
brain and thoracic MRI (to check on mets)
chest CT (to see what progress was made with radiation)
all of which happens on our 15th anniversary....maybe they'll give us a few moments alone in the the CT scanner...tee hee.......
once he's all cleared he should begin...about two weeks or so!!!

we left after me making friends with a scheduling dude that is as in love with stevie nicks as i am oprah....(i of course had to share my love affair of Tom McCann wooden clogs and long shawls and my big perm. i think he will be my favorite backdoor person!! when hubby talked about our anniversary concert with Cher...the guy knew we were all on the SAME page!! wink wink....

we gathered up our stuff and headed out.
dropped my big guy off at home.
did my visit to my new best friend at CVS

a good day....
and i knew it was going to be just fine when i pulled into the parking lot just behind a van with KY plates!!!!