The trip was worth it - October 18

I am currently sitting at the San Diego airport, waiting to board my flight back to Wilmington. It’s been just over 48 hours since I made the decision to fly out here and hope to see Dr. Hillman. Thankfully his office is incredibly easy to work with, and later on Thursday (but before I boarded my flight out of Wilmington), I had a confirmed appointment for 3 pm yesterday.

I was thankful for time at Pacific Beach yesterday morning before heading to my appointment at UC San Diego Health in the afternoon.

Dr. Hillman and his staff were incredibly kind, professional, and unhurried in their interaction with me. I felt seen, I felt heard, and I felt that everyone wanted what is ultimately best for me. After a great deal of frustration with the healthcare system in general over the last two weeks, yesterday was a breath of fresh air.

We do not have a firm plan in place at this point, but Dr. Hillman wants to coordinate with the team at Duke, and it is his recommendation that I have another open-incision debulking surgery, followed by combination drug therapy utilizing Letrozole and Lupron. Though I do not look forward to another large surgery, I do believe his recommendation makes sense when combined with the recommended therapy afterwards.

I was able to connect with Hannah’s brother and his family last night for dinner (they live in the area), and it was a great way to end a whirlwind trip.

Next stop, North Carolina!