Here we go again

This week brought with it a visit to a new gynecologic cancer clinic --this time at the U of M.  After my last, somewhat confrontational appt with my own oncologist, she encouraged me to get a second opinion at the Mayo or at the U to "satisfy myself and/or my family that there aren't options we're not pursuing".  I didn't bother to remind her that I had already been to the Mayo....shouldn't she know this?
So I forced myself to march into yet another medical setting and start over with my story
(in 3 minutes or less) with a medical resident who would in turn relate it to the doctor (in 2 minutes or less), only to have both of them return to the room and basically ask me why I was there.  What questions did I have for them? Uh, gee--well, can you do SOMETHING to save my life?  What about pelvic exenteration?  No?  Well ok then, how about just removing the damn "source area"?  If you can remove a cervix, why not the vaginal cuff?  No?  Well, ok then, how about more precise radiation?  No?  Can you do some kind of dance to the warrior gods that will make this little problem I have go away?  No? Ok, well how about you just kick me in the teeth and tell me to go home and die? OK, sure.  On my way out, the good doc looked at me with this overwhelming look of PITY and told me to have a good day.  None for me, thanks.
In all fairness, he seemed like a nice enough guy....actually answered all my questions in English as opposed to medi-speak. Explained how the body "remembers" radiation, so it's not like starting over, it's cumulative--and the pelvic tissue can only take so much before the damage itself becomes life threatening to other organs. Explained that there was reason for optimism re: length of life in that I had a relatively long period of time before recurrence. Explained how no oncologist would recommend surgery that wasn't going to HEAL the patient. And I am beyond healing. Maybe if I hear it enough times, from enough different doctors, it will eventually sink in.

It made me wonder if they often have to deal with desperate people, such as myself...not really ready to die, not really able to grasp or accept the facts because I feel perfectly healthy, excepting some chemo side effects occasionally kicking my ass.
Speaking of which, my upper lip has decided to randomly swell up to the size of a basketball.  Interesting the weird impact of chemo drugs on the body's immune system.  I very closely resemble Daffy Duck. We've named it The Duck Bill. Funny, although it's hard to breathe with your upper lip blocking your nostrils. Nothing more steroids can't resolve... but I digress.

I feel somewhat helpless. I want to find people in my same situation, but I don't know where to find them.  I wonder if there are others in this same state of limbo, trying to figure out how to deal with the terminal diagnosis while still living a "normal" life.

I also feel strangely vulnerable, which I hate. I want to go back to being strong and independent, not sucked into this medical vortex of insecurity that I never wanted to be a part of.  Fucking cancer.