3/16/20: I Re-Scheduled Some Appointments

During this COVID-19 pandemic, my state has closed all schools and banned all on-premise dining for restaurants and bars. There is a major push for social distancing, and as an introvert and homebody, I am happy to comply.

This upcoming Thursday, I was scheduled for a 6-month follow-up appointment with my NP in the Breast Center. I was planning on calling them to re-schedule, but even before I had a chance, they called me. They asked me to move my appointment out by at least 4 weeks, which is fine with me. Now it's in late April. 

When this appointment was first scheduled, I felt uneasy because 6 months seemed like a long time to wait to have a medical professional evaluate my post-surgery recovery. But now that it's been 6 months, and I've had my physical therapy appointments in the meantime, I think I'm in a stable place. I have no pressing questions or concerns. 

I decided, too, to re-schedule Friday's physical therapy appointment, which I also moved to late April. When this appointment was first scheduled, I was nervous about not seeing my physical therapist for a whole month. But now that the time has passed, I'm okay. I am relieved that my cording has continued to improve, so seeing my physical therapist doesn't feel necessary. Anyway, the point of the appointment was really just to check in, and to give me some new strengthening exercises. I'm comfortable just continuing with my walking, deep breathing, and stretching exercises for now. 

I also have 2 appointments that I did not cancel because they are time-sensitive. On Thursday I'm scheduled for an echocardiogram. I thought a lot about whether or not to re-schedule this appointment. I decided to keep it because the point of the echocardiogram is to make sure my heart is functioning properly while on Herceptin, and the results determine whether or not I should continue with Herceptin treatments. I am also keeping an appointment on Friday for both an Herceptin infusion and a Lupron shot, since those treatments should stay on schedule to be most effective. 

It does make me wonder under what circumstances the hospital might call to re-schedule those appointments... Interestingly, I did get a recorded message from the hospital, regarding my echocardiogram appointment, saying that no visitors other than patients themselves are allowed in unless medically necessary.  

Meanwhile, I've been doing a lot of research to try to figure out if I am in a "high-risk" category for COVID-19. I am NED, so there is no known cancer in me at this time. None of my medications are immunosuppressants. My immune system was compromised during chemo, but I finished that almost 3 months ago, and my blood work has already returned to normal. I did have a total of 6 lymph nodes removed, but that seems to be more of a concern regarding bacterial infections if the skin is broken on the side of the body from which lymph nodes were removed. In the Facebook support groups, though, a number of people insist that anyone with any history of cancer is immunocompromised... This article says people with a history of cancer "probably" do not have an increased risk, however, this study that analyzed COVID-19 patients in China says that patients with a history of cancer do have an increased risk. The study does not distinguish between different kinds of cancer, though, and I'm sure that must be factor. Still, I figure I should adopt an attitude of extreme caution, just in case.