No clue how I missed that great thread. Just read through it and there is an amazing amount of support and great advice in there.
I am another to harp on the whole "get thee to an Oncologist STAT" meme. Are you in an area where you are close to one of the major medical centers? Thinking Sloan Kettering, Johns Hopkins, UPenn? I was treated at UPenn and they are amazing. A friend went through Sloan and can't say enough good things about them. Really sorry to hear that you haven't been able to talk with an Onco yet. People can repeat the definition in the pathology of a biopsy, but that doesn't necessarily give them the information they need in order to define a prognosis. My surgeon gave me all of the options that *he* could offer - it was the Oncology people that drove the decision making.
As far as "be strong" or "fight", in this context, I would take it to mean "be positive". When I was Dx, I was terrified. Boss let me go home from work early after I got the phone call, and I sat on the couch and just trembled. The next morning I woke up and realized that I have a decision to make. The cancer may own all of the oxygen in the room - but I get to decide how I am going to live my life. I started going out more - met a bunch of new people (not something I am normally wont to do) and had the best time of my life. That positive attitude (that I initially forced on myself) kinda took over. I felt my energy levels increase and my outlook wasn't bleak anymore. Little things quit bothering me - in the scheme of things.
There are probably tons of better definitions than that - thats just how I felt like I was "strong" or "fought" when dealing with the Dx. I didn't take it on directly (no way to do that), I just showed it I had better things to do than to let it live rent free in my head and consume every waking thought.
About your treatment protocols - who is driving those, and when do you find out what all they are going to try to target?
If you have someone who can go along on the original appointments with you, or if the treatment center has Nurse Navigators, I highly recommend that. There will be information coming at you like a firehose and your head will be swimming trying to process it all. Having someone with you to take notes is awesome because you can just listen to what they are saying and then process the information later. Thats one thing I didn't do enough of - ask for help.
Glad you checked in with the group. This is an amazing bunch of people who are very knowledgeable and supportive. Don't hesitate to ask questions as you feel comfortable.
Edit - Douglas, I just remembered. Are you still out in the Marriana (sp?) Islands? Can you get back stateside for this?
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