What a difference 3 miles makes.

So yesterday (a day late, not bad) I had my third chemo day. This means I'm halfway done with this round (we'll just wait and see what comes next). The bigger news is the infusion center at the cancer center over in Berkeley is WAY different from the little infusion center at my doctor's office in Oakland. In every way other than actual distance they are miles apart. I'm not sure which I prefer, but I will say there is a boat load more bureaucratic bullshit at the Berkeley infusion center. I suppose it's unavoidable because it is just so much bigger, but holy cow- do I really need to give you my name and date of birth every time you bring over a new bag of cancer killing stuff (between premeds, chemo and Herceptin I have 8 different bags of crap)?!? There's more, but I won't bore you with it today. The biggest bummer is that I can't get in for my weekly Herceptin drip any later than 3pm (and even that is with special dispensation). Usually their last appointment is at 2:30 (note: the Berkeley infusion center stays open until 7, other note: I never spent more than 1.5 hours in the Oakland office for my weekly drip (and that includes a lot of waiting around)). The reason this is a drag is that I don't get out of work until 3:05, so I've got to get someone to cover my class every Tuesday for the rest of the year (not the worst thing in the world, but...). I guess the benefits of the smaller office Oakland office is that there are less hard and fast rules and more "make it work" kind of flexibility.

Lest you think all I do is bitch on this blog, there are some benefits to the new place.

1. They seem way better at keeping me well informed of meds, lab results, etc. (to the point of it being over the top, but I appreciate it).
2. The nurse practitioner that I'll work with there seems GREAT! Way more accessible and engaged than the one that I worked with at the other office.
3. It sounds like the oncologist will stop in and see me each week while I'm getting my infusion. We'll see how that shakes out.
4. The facility is much newer, but that is balanced by its lack of natural light.
5. I'm waiting to see how the wait times are. Yesterday I spent a lot of time waiting, but that may well have been due to the fact that they were squeezing me in.