There's NO Room for Growth

It's set up that when I go for radiation M-F, I see the doctor on Tuesday and nurse on Friday after treatment. Dr. Straus was off on Tuesday so I saw her yesterday. I had, as usual, a lot of questions written down.

• I wanted to get a prescription for nausea medicine...think I'm going to need it....check
• I wanted to see if she could give me something else for a rash that I have on my tummy....check
• I wanted to find out the reason that I developed a bright red rash on my left cheek since arriving that morning for radiation (added this question when I changed into my gown for treatment). I thought I knew, as only Dr. Funk would, but wanted to see what the one with all the medical degrees knew. Her response was, "I don't know". Well, let me tell you my diagnosis. I have been extremely itchy taking the Perecot pain medication. I mentioned it to Dr. Major and he said that it might be an intolerance to it. Just keep an eye on it. Just as I developed a rash to Morphine at UVA (although the night nurse who wore a patient hospital gown thought it was an allergy to the washcloth???), I think I'm allergic to Perecot. Dr. Straus called over to Dr. Major's office and they switched me, yet again, to another pain medicine. I asked her if the list of options was long because it seems that I'm going through the list rather quickly. I must say, it sure would be nice to get rid off the itching. I've scratched my arms raw. New medication. Dilaudid....check
• I wanted to find out the "new" size of the tumor based on the pancreatic CT scan that I had last week. When they discovered the tumor at UVA on April 23, it was 1.8 cm. In my mind, I knew it was growing. It had to be. There were no treatments to make it stop. My symptoms had drastically changed the last 2 weeks...more frequent spasms in my gut, pain in my back shoulder blade.... I knew it was growing. Dr. Straus went back and measured it from the CT scan. It had grown to 2.5 cm. I'm not going to even pretend to understand the rate of growth. It hasn't even been a month yet since I found out about this "thing". It is what it is. HOWEVER, it can no longer grow. I've had 20 chemo P-I-L-S and 2 radiation treatments. I will be on my way for the 3rd radiation treatment in just a little while. Yeah, there's no room for growth now. YOU ARE GOING DOWN! As my Catoctin Caregivers said in their song.....
  
  Hey, come on, radiation, and chemo too.
  Sharon, can beat this thing, with the 2 of you!