My breast cancer journey begins

Great news. Keep taking care of youself, and you'll be back to tubthumping in no time.
 
Hey @Half Fast,
I don't have a whole lot in the way of updates. I'm pretty much healed up from surgery. Have been doing a bit of PT (a.k.a. the world's kindest and gentlest personal trainers), and am going to the gym now on my own to try to rebuild muscle tone and strength and stamina, trying to eventually get back to my pre-chemo moderately-athletic self (who was also 20 pounds lighter!)

Radiation will start in a couple weeks. Although some say there are side effects, others have described it as "you go in, a machine makes a noise for 5 minutes, and then you leave." So we'll see.

I've also got an appointment with a BasicMed doc coming up, and we'll see what he says about the State of Things.

All in all, I can't complain. It's sunny, the garden lettuce is going gangbusters, and there are salmon splashing loudly in the backyard creek...
 
kath said:
Hey @Half Fast,
I don't have a whole lot in the way of updates. I'm pretty much healed up from surgery. Have been doing a bit of PT (a.k.a. the world's kindest and gentlest personal trainers), and am going to the gym now on my own to try to rebuild muscle tone and strength and stamina, trying to eventually get back to my pre-chemo moderately-athletic self (who was also 20 pounds lighter!)

Radiation will start in a couple weeks. Although some say there are side effects, others have described it as "you go in, a machine makes a noise for 5 minutes, and then you leave." So we'll see.
Click to expand...

Good to hear! Hope the radiation goes well. How long will that continue?


I've also got an appointment with a BasicMed doc coming up, and we'll see what he says about the State of Things.
Click to expand...

OUTSTANDING! Keep us all posted on that. Maybe you'll find your way back into the air very soon. Your journey should be a great encouragement to other cancer patients.

Basic Med has been a tremendous benefit to a lot of us. I'm very glad I'll never have to play FAA medical roulette again.



All in all, I can't complain. It's sunny, the garden lettuce is going gangbusters, and there are salmon splashing loudly in the backyard creek...
Click to expand...

So what are you doing online? I think I'd be heading for the creek with a fly rod in my hand. :D

Glad to hear it's all going well for you. It sounds like it will ultimately be a good outcome. :cheers:
 
Another update:

I am BasicMed-ed!!

For the appointment, I brought with me the "big cancer binder" with every scrap of documentation I had of everything. (All appointment notes. Bloodwork. Echocardiogram reports. Bone density. PT. Surgical pathology report. Eeeeeeverythiiiiiing...) The binder is about two inches thick.

The doctor was a semi-retired AME who I've seen once or twice in the past. "So you're here for BasicMed?" he asks, and I say yup. He asks me if I've held a medical recently (yup). I used to be a "boring" healthy patient with no issues, I tell him, until last year. "So what happened last year?" he asks. Breast cancer, I reply. I give him the quick elevator pitch of my story (diagnosis, chemo, surgery, and the radiation coming up and what's ongoing). He says simply: "Cancer's not disqualifying for BasicMed." And we move on. He peruses my health checklist, muttering again "Not disqualifying."

The tone of his voice and his body language throughout the whole encounter suggested he didn't give two bleeps about the cancer (from a flight perspective). It seemed he mainly wanted to make sure I don't have any of the "Big Three". The binder of documents remained on the floor, unopened. "Ultimately, the judge of whether you're fit to fly is YOU," he says. Well put, sir.

Course completion certificate is in hand and filed. Yaaaaaaaaaaay!
 
kath said:
Another update:

I am BasicMed-ed!!

For the appointment, I brought with me the "big cancer binder" with every scrap of documentation I had of everything. (All appointment notes. Bloodwork. Echocardiogram reports. Bone density. PT. Surgical pathology report. Eeeeeeverythiiiiiing...) The binder is about two inches thick.

The doctor was a semi-retired AME who I've seen once or twice in the past. "So you're here for BasicMed?" he asks, and I say yup. He asks me if I've held a medical recently (yup). I used to be a "boring" healthy patient with no issues, I tell him, until last year. "So what happened last year?" he asks. Breast cancer, I reply. I give him the quick elevator pitch of my story (diagnosis, chemo, surgery, and the radiation coming up and what's ongoing). He says simply: "Cancer's not disqualifying for BasicMed." And we move on. He peruses my health checklist, muttering again "Not disqualifying."

The tone of his voice and his body language throughout the whole encounter suggested he didn't give two bleeps about the cancer (from a flight perspective). It seemed he mainly wanted to make sure I don't have any of the "Big Three". The binder of documents remained on the floor, unopened. "Ultimately, the judge of whether you're fit to fly is YOU," he says. Well put, sir.

Course completion certificate is in hand and filed. Yaaaaaaaaaaay!
Click to expand...
All Right Kath!!!!

Time to plan your next lower-48 excursion.
 
JOhnH said:
Time to plan your next lower-48 excursion.
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Yes!! ... although of course, I will need some help getting through Canada.....
ernest-shackleton.png

:)
 
kath said:
Another update:

I am BasicMed-ed!!

For the appointment, I brought with me the "big cancer binder" with every scrap of documentation I had of everything. (All appointment notes. Bloodwork. Echocardiogram reports. Bone density. PT. Surgical pathology report. Eeeeeeverythiiiiiing...) The binder is about two inches thick.

The doctor was a semi-retired AME who I've seen once or twice in the past. "So you're here for BasicMed?" he asks, and I say yup. He asks me if I've held a medical recently (yup). I used to be a "boring" healthy patient with no issues, I tell him, until last year. "So what happened last year?" he asks. Breast cancer, I reply. I give him the quick elevator pitch of my story (diagnosis, chemo, surgery, and the radiation coming up and what's ongoing). He says simply: "Cancer's not disqualifying for BasicMed." And we move on. He peruses my health checklist, muttering again "Not disqualifying."

The tone of his voice and his body language throughout the whole encounter suggested he didn't give two bleeps about the cancer (from a flight perspective). It seemed he mainly wanted to make sure I don't have any of the "Big Three". The binder of documents remained on the floor, unopened. "Ultimately, the judge of whether you're fit to fly is YOU," he says. Well put, sir.

Course completion certificate is in hand and filed. Yaaaaaaaaaaay!
Click to expand...
Cool. The sky awaits your return
 
Gratified to hear. Go forth and spend lots of money to bore holes in the sky.

Can you do there CFI thing with the Basic Med?
 
What a nice ending to your story (I realize you have a little bit more to go, but you have your BasicMed in hand!)!
 
Awesome. I always wanted to fly to Alaska, maybe we could tag team the return flight :)

Tim

Sent from my HD1907 using Tapatalk
 
This makes me very happy.
 
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