Skip to main content

the call before the storm


Slam Dunk!



I'm driving yesterday to my first chemo, ready to get it started, when I get a call from my nurse at the Cancer & Hematology. After pleasantries, she said:

 "So, I was reading through your chart and saw that Dr. Lynch wanted your scans done before treatment began.So it looks like we need to delay it's start. Are you on your way here?"

 Okay, now it's your turn to guess which was the correct response:

 A.  "Well, Alecia, that scan was not approved by insurance until just a couple days ago partially because your office didn't follow up to get it approved. But we can wait, because the delay was out of the ordinary and I don't have an aggressive, fast growing cancer. Will next Thursday work better?"

 B. "WTF?? (for my kinder gentler readers that stands for Well That's Fine) I'm three minutes out and we're getting this done today!! I'm not delaying because parties related to this treatment that aren't me my husband or my doctors couldn't get their s*** together (kinder gentler readers that stands for stuff, just add another asterisk) and get the scan scheduled earlier this week or last! Get the supplies ready because I'm pulling in to the parking lot. Looking forward to seeing you soon."

 C.  "Well Alecia, I'm in fact almost there and beyond ready to start this treatment. I remember the conversation with Dr. Lynch and she said that we could start the treatment before the scans, though not ideal, it wouldn't hurt to begin. It just might mean a different sort of chemo. Right? So, I'm ready to begin and will be there momentarily."

 The correct and condensed version was C. Though quite honestly A and B were both plausible because the facts presented are correct; though the tone of A was far too timid/kind even for me and in B, I only swear after a glass or two of wine or at crazy drivers or anyone that harms my children or hubby.

 As it was, the chemo proceeded as planned. Alecia and I overcame initial awkwardness and found some common ground. She'd consulted with the oncologist on duty, and he confirmed that it would be best to start the chemo and if the scan showed any metastasis, it would just change the dosage and timing.

 So after four hours, I returned home - no side effects and loaded with prescriptions to hopefully tamper any of the more likely, unpleasant ones. I also got a Nuelasta thingy that will inject meds to boost my white blood counts - it will inject at 27 hours post treatment (tonight at 7:30!). I won't post video because it's attached to my abdomen and that hasn't seen the sun in many, many years and still bears the stretch marks of three pregnancies. Now you realize that you really DON'T want to see it!! 

 Next chemo, if scans and next week's blood counts are okay, will be February 7.
One down, three of these to go!!
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

It's not a popularity contest, but ...

Friday Night Lights

Friday night lights were blazing last week - when for the first time in the history of our little town, the Saugatuck Indians clinched the district title! You can see the sheer joy on Matthew's face and the pride in his father's eyes in the picture above. Leading up to and during the game, there were several things that made the victory even more sweet. The first being that the sports writers in the area, to a person, all predicted the opponents, Climax-Scotts, to win. They'd had a perfect season - until Friday. The second was that we had to travel quite a distance (nearly 90 minutes) to get to the game. And the weather was frigid and snow was blowing - thankfully it was blowing towards the Climax-Scotts stands and was at our backs. And then our quarterback injured his shoulder and had to sit out for a good portion of the game. Thankfully, the replacement quarterback (a sophomore called up for the playoffs from the junior varsity team) did not let the stress effect his ...
3 comments
Read more

The world according to Gimp

  I understand that there are those who may believe my use of the term 'gimp' is derogatory or demeaning. I do not use it lightly or to belittle anyone, it's just a lot easier for me to than 'disabled' or 'handicapped' because it uses a little snark or humor to something that could use a little of that. Or in this case, I specifically want to make light of my situation so that it doesn't feel depressing. For you or me. Let me try to explain.  One of my pet peeves is the look of sympathy I get from well-meaning people. Like, "Aw, sweetie, I am so sorry that you are less abled, confined to a wheelchair and less able to live the full, active life that I lead."  I am in a wheelchair most of the time and my life is different because of that but in truth I never wanted to run a marathon of play pickleball or climb Mt. Baldhead (I've done the latter too many times usually bringing up the rear of the group I was with and/or being cheered on by the ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ten Year

When I was in junior high school, I staged a sit-in and learned about 'ten year'. This will come as a total surprise to most of you readers - I was not a perfectly well behaved child. I know, I know - you're shocked, amazed, in wonder how I could have turned out to be so well-behaved despite the oats sown in my youth.  And the sit-in is a perfect example of how I marched to the beat of my own drummer. Miss Brown was an English teacher - and not a very popular one. She would invoke the yardstick on wayward student's hands and scowl the moment we walked into the classroom. We weren't very kind to Miss Brown but then she wasn't very kind to us, either. Personally, the hardest part of having Miss Brown as an English teacher is that she nearly ruined my love of my favorite topic in school. It was the year we were to learn grammar (have I ever mentioned that as a writer I detest grammar?). I think some new way of teaching English was introduced and in all l...
5 comments
Read more