Friday, October 7

Hi all. Dr. Irwin came to talk to Harold this morning. Harold wasn't feeling up to speed at the time. Neither I nor Rosemary and Sierra got there in time to be there. Harold reported to us that he got to tell Dr. Irwin what's been the problems--e.g. not following through on requests he'd nominally agreed to, or at least not specifically refused to do (sending tissue down to rational therapeutics for analysis). To follow his own course without consulting with Harold, etc. For example, at one point this morning Doctor Irwin said he wasn't the one to talk about sending the tissue down to LA that the pathologist was. To which the obvious reply is why didn't you say that from the get-go? Anyway. That pretty much took care of that.  Things pretty much the same. He hasn't started  chemo yet, they will be discharging him soon.

However Dr. Irwin did agree to send the pathologist in to talk to Harold, and he came in while we were there. He brought in some printouts from the NCCN Evidence-Based Cancer Guidelines that Emmy had pointed us to. I forget the doctor's name. But he and Harold had a great talk. The doc told him frankly his opinion of  why at this stage of their development the information from these technologies (there are a number of them) hasn't proved any more useful then the guidelines currently in use, and that he believes the companies marketing this new technology are preying on patients looking for any route to more certainly. Harold pointed out that that all that still doesn't rule out that such information won't prove useful down the road, and that he will move forward to get the test and have it to show to his oncologists in the future, leaving it up to the wisdom of the oncologists at that time as to how or if they'll use the information.  Finally the pathologist pointed out that Rational Therapeutics has their own needs as far as collection, handling, transportation, etc. so Harold will need to have all that in place. Rosemary and Sierra were still there when I left. Rosemary and Sierra, please add if there's more information or I forgot something.

Re: Records. Rosemary got the nurse to give her the records from the last couple of days. The rest will  need to retrieved when Harold  is released, through the records department, per previous understanding. I think someone had filled in a request form and taken it to the records department already. Anyone know what the upshot of all that was? Anyway, this information from back then might be useful for whoever.

Sierra's going to be arranging for getting the yard sale going.

Haven't heard any other requests for things.