Second Opinion

The doctor (Dr. F) in Birmingham was a gem! We really liked him! He took a lot of time with us to explain all sorts of things associated with my "condition."

Just looking at my files, he agreed with the diagnosis. The only disagreement was in the form of treatment he would recommend. He recommends something called CHOP. (Dr. D, here is HSV, said that was over kill at this point.) Dr. F said that he would recommend it because the clinicals for CHOP were done at UAB, and they use it all the time in treating lymphoma.

HOWEVER, Dr. F explained that choosing between CHOP of CVP was kinda like choosing between Coke or Pepsi. Both are perfectly acceptable treatments, it just depends on the oncologist. He told us that if his wife went to Dr. D, and Dr. D said to use CVP, he would encourage his wife to follow Dr. D's instructions.

Dr. F is going to send my slides to his pathology department. (His pathologist is internationally known.) If the diagnosis is different from the one I already have, he wants me to come back to see him. If the diagnosis is the same, he'll advise me to continue on here in Huntsville.

There was some disagreement on the results of the bone marrow scan. Dr. F read it as being negative, while Dr. D said there were minute amounts. Dr. F said it didn't matter. Stage III and Stage IV are treated the same.

SO, in a nutshell...no good news, but no bad news, again. But DH and I felt so much better getting the second opinion. We'll wait one more week for the results from pathology in Birmingham, and then...AWAY WE GO!

God bless you, all!