We've been enjoying Laura's family like crazy for the past few days, and trying to get the most out of it pre-chemo. We drove to Girdwood for the Forest Fair yesterday, and had a wicked set of Rock Band with all the cousins last night. Greg and Doug rocked til fairly late in the day, with the sun still shining.

I met with my oncologist today. It was my first really good, long visit with her since my initial visit. After that I met with the PA, then my next visit with her was fairly short due to over-scheduling with my Groshang catheter surgery. Today I had a list of questions for her that got longer and longer as the day progressed.

I love that she is willing to take time with each patient. She's not rushing off. She spent a good hour and a half with me, answering questions, and doing a full exam to make sure I look good for the next chemo. She had some concerns about a fever I had over the weekend, plus a strange side effect from the last cycle (an equilibrium issue she hasn't had other patients experience). At first, she had been considering postponing the next round of chemo until I saw a neurologist. But she decided to just give a quick phone consult with him or her, and after that decided to move ahead with the chemo as planned and keep an eye on it. A good visit. My labs all looked good. I got a lot of questions answered, and feel like I'm getting more and more of a chance to get to know my oncologist and feel like that is a good relationship.

Oh, and in the middle of the lab visit and the oncology visit, Laura and I went hat shopping. I have a few scarves, but have come to believe that hats may be as useful or more useful as scarves. They are easier, and potentially more fashionable. I used the money Grandma Bennie sent for my birthday and bought a very trendy, fashionable hat at Nordies. And then bought myself one more. The hair is coming out in clumps. It's disturbing, messy, and annoying. Yet, the alternative of shaving my head seems also disturbing and annoying (just not as messy). Every day I ask myself "am I ready to shave it today." And I'm not quite there. It's coming out quickly and exponentially quicker each day. Yet, it's more noticeable to me than others still. The shaved head will be noticeable to everybody. I decided I didn't need to put myself through the psychological shock right before the next chemo. I'll wait, get through the next few days of the chemo recovery, and then make a decision. I expect by then it may be easier to make a decision -- the clumped out hair may start looking like a shedding dog. Or not. I guess I just want to enjoy having hair while I've got it. And don't want to add to the psychological stress of the next few days. The chemo is enough.