Mixing business with pleasure

Well, New Yorkers may be unhappy about the bleak weather in Manhattan the past couple days, but we are loving every minute of it! Who comes from Florida to New York in the winter to wear shorts? It's been in the low 20s, and today we had snow! My face is thawing from the walk home from the Theatre District as I write this!

We got to our hotel on 50th and 3rd Monday afternoon and discovered we were just down the street from the original Smith & Wollensky. I've heard so much about their world famous steaks, and since it was Mackenzie's birthday, we had the perfect excuse to splurge on dinner! We were the only family there in a sea of businessmen. The environment was charming, and the food didn't disappoint - especially the complementary chocolate mousse cake and song for the birthday girl! We got to bed early last night after a little exploring to be rested for the appointment with Sloan-Kettering this morning.

The hotel is few steps away from Sloan-Kettering, and my appointment was at 11:00am. Bob, Mackenzie, and I were already here, and Erin was able to hop a last minute flight from Florida and meet us at the office. I was impressed by the friendly workers, efficiency, cleanliness, and overall order throughout the building. Dr. Oettgen was a sweet white-haired man with a bow tie and a German accent. He reviewed my tests with us and gave me a brief physical. Then he went to look over my x-rays and came back to talk with my family. Basically, he agrees with Dr. Segota on my treatment plan and the steps we've taken thus far. His major comment was that he strongly suggests I get a biopsy of my spine. The MRI and PETscans of my spine raised suspicion that the cancer had spread to my bones. However, both the radiologist at Holy Cross and at Sloan-Kettering could not state with certainty that what is showing up in these tests is cancer. It is just highly probable. Dr. Oettgen feels strongly about this biopsy because it is the only way to get a definitive answer about what is going on in my vertebrae. If there is no cancer, it could be Stage 3B, which, as I've said before, offers a possible chance of healing or at least a longer life expectancy. The side effects of treatment for Stage 3B would be much more severe, but it would be worth it since I would have a chance of survival. So we didn't necessarily learn anything new, but we did get a strong recommendation for a spinal biopsy. We called Dr. Segota's nurse to set up that test as soon as possible. So again, my chemo treatment which was rescheduled for February 19, will probably be postponed until we learn the results of the biopsy since it could change the way we go forward.

Overall we had a good experience at Sloan-Kettering and I was comforted by their friendly manner and Dr. Oettgen's willingness to sit with us until all our questions were answered. We headed to a New York deli for lunch and made plans for the rest of our stay. Our "must-do" list covers the front and back of a page, so we should be busy! We hopped the subway down to Macy's and checked out two whole floors of shoes! A couple natives noticed we were already making a fashion statement ourselves since Erin, Mackenzie, and I were all wearing bright red winter coats. I had bought them for each of us - can you guess my favorite color? We certainly stood out from the black trenches all around us. Madison Square Garden was just around the corner where the Westminster Dog Show was going on. We got 2 free goodie bags containing "Dogs Rule" skull caps. Bob and I put them on to survive the chill. I kept laughing when I saw how silly he looked in that hat until Erin pointed out I looked just as ridiculous.

All Mackenzie wants to do while we're here is pack in the Broadway shows, and luckily she has a good friend in the city who was able to get us discounted prices for Curtains, a musical starring David Hyde Pierce (Niles from "Frasier"). It was cute and clever and we all enjoyed it. We opted to walk home and enjoy the snow, and now we're wiped! So we're heading to bed and looking forward to making a dent in our "must-do" list tomorrow.

When you get a vacation to Manhattan in order to get a second opinion, I think it becomes more than just a "necessary evil." This trip is a blessing. Wish you all were here! :-)