The unnatural order of things...

Next week, Dr. N is going to open up my right upper arm and install various bits and bobs and other spare parts with which I wasn't born so we can keep it functioning. While I firmly find myself on board with this procedure, my head is swimming in regards to all the tangential pieces parts that lead up to and follow this process.

The Revlimid carries with it a risk of stroke and blood clots therefore we must take one baby aspirin ("orange flavoured and chewable, please," I so kindly request) to thin the blood. 

I must take Dexamethasone and have a Velcade injection alongside my Revlimid now that I am out of remission.

I am having surgery on my arm. 

The conversation goes a bit like this:

"Please stop taking the Revlimid, Dexamethasone and Velcade injections ASAP so we can also stop the baby aspirin. We don't care what flavour it is--if you want orange, take orange. Just don't do it now because we need your blood to clot during and after the surgery."

"That sounds gruesome. Wait... so my cancer is a problem and I need these drugs to stop it from multiplying and now I need to stop the drugs so I can have the surgery. What's going to happen with the cancer while the drugs are stopped? Should I be worried?"

"We're not worried."

"Okay, that's good. When do I get to start the chemo drugs again?"

"Probably a couple weeks after the surgery. We'll let you know. We are also going to start radiation on the myeloma mass to kill it off so it doesn't do any further damage to your arm."

"...when?"

"After your incisions heal. The radiation will damage the tissue and you won't heal."

"Still gruesome. Thanks for the update."

"You're welcome."

Okay... so conversation didn't go exactly like that, but those are the pieces that it covered and those are all the directions my treatment is being pulled. I'm glad that I don't have to do much thinking through all of this because, well, if you have to ask, you should probably start reading from the beginning again.  

Maybe I should, too.