Team leader: My kind of girl

Today Giudi Weiss drove me to meet with Dr. P, pulmonary oncologist (lung cancer specialist) . I liked her a lot and feel I am in good hands. She's smart, beautiful, compassionate, a leader in her field, direct but gentle, very human. She will lead my multidisciplinary care team. Tomorrow I get a brain MRI at 11, Thursday a PET scan at 5:15. My dear friend Barbara U, a retired logistical manager, will drive me to the MRI. I've asked her to organize volunteers for when treatment begins. I'll mostly need drivers, also possibly other help, depending on side effects. I am so blessed--I have a four-page list of volunteers already. For the next week the main goal is to get this cancer staged, that is, see if it has moved beyond the chest, and to understand what we're dealing with. Then the team will talk it over and put a treatment plan together, probably a combo of chemo/radiation, but they can't really say til the cancer is staged. I will most likely obtain a second opinion, possibly a third and fourth. At this point it looks like treatment will start right after the holidays. Stay tuned for details on possible side effects, etc. Meanwhile, my job is to bulk up. The good news is I'm going into this in good shape and in reasonably good spirits. People like me seem to do best, so that's a comfort. That's it for tonight--I'm pooped, having spent several hours at the hospital and on the phone getting pre-authorizations and pre-registrations sorted out. Will check in tomorrow after the MRI.