Today is the DAY!!

I had finally had enough of this waiting patiently business and called the doctor. I had to leave a message but I was very clear that I expected a call from the big guy himself....today! Tomorrow will be three weeks since I last saw or heard anything from him. No more playing it nice for me. I need to move on with my life and get this show on the road.
About an hour later, he actually called me. Well, his every so pleasant (not!) secretary called me and then proceeded to put me on hold. Dr. Eckardt explained that he presented my case before the tumor review board and they concluded that further surgery would not be beneficial at this point. They agreed that since I have not yet tried radiation, we should move forward on that path.
I spoke to my primary surgeon and he got on the phone anxious to hear what I had to report. He asked me if they agreed with the tissue samples and the final diagnosis. Hugh? It makes all the alarm bells go off in the back of my head again. They were soooo sure this was soft tissue sarcoma the first time around...what if they were right? And missed it? I can't go there but it still lingers in my head and pops up ever so often. Dr. Eckardt didn't say anything to the contrary and I didn't even think to ask that question. Dr. Newman assured me that Dr. Eckardt is the "expert" and while he thought his opinion was "interesting" he supported it because he is the "expert".
Next step: I called Dr. Z to get back on track for radiation. They will send out for a new authorization...oh joy! That ought to take another month! She said it might only be a couple of days. Let's see who is right! Oh, and of course Dr. Z wasn't there to speak with me about what I might expect with the latest developments so he will call tomorrow. I will be in Sacramento with Brendon so he may not catch me on the phone. I don't know any details regarding how many treatments or when they expect they will begin. It's almost guaranteed that they will start while the kids are on summer break which isn't ideal for me but hey! What can I do?
Dr. Eckardt wants to follow up with me every 6 months with a fresh MRI. This was good news for me because we will have documentation of any possible growth or the death of this awful experience. One can only hope! :-) So that's all for now. The next few weeks are up in the air and filled with lots of uncertainty but I know they don't include scaples and THAT makes me incredibly happy.
It's a good day!