I have come to the conclusion that I should have been a dentist...because it seems that trying to get information from people is "like pulling teeth". I had a dental moment with the oncology office today. As I mentioned earlier, we were told that we should get some results on Friday. This was told to us by the doctor, so we kinda had our minds set that we would know something by the weekend, but if not, it would likely be Monday. His follow up appointment is scheduled for Thurs the 18th. I certainly didn't think we would have to wait that long to get the results, otherwise, I would have insisted on an earlier appointment.
So early this morning, Jimmy called to see if there were any results yet. He left a message on the nurse line and began to wait patiently. I on the other hand, was not willing to wait all day. I called several times and got the nurse voice mail every time. I refused to leave another message so I went through other channels and tried to get a real person who would connect me to the nurse. The person I did manage to get on the phone was not as helpful as I had hoped and was trying to politely inform me that they "do not give results over the phone" and that we would have to wait for our follow up appt on Thurs. I think I spent about 5-10 minutes ranting and bitching and basically refusing to get off the phone until I was able to talk to someone who could give results. I won't give you all the tragic details, but to make a long story short... I let this poor innocent secretary see my not so soft side. Those of you who know me can probably envision the scene, and those of you who don't know me as well, trust me...it is not a pretty picture. Unfortunately, this chick didn't know who she was dealing with and what we had been going through for the past week. Finally, she informed me that she would personally take my message to the doctor and that one of them would be calling within the half hour.
Now my question is...why does one have to get so angry and rude to get some results? The bad part was , I was not in a position to get a phone call at work, so they were going to have to call Jimmy and tell him, which is OK. I didn't care who they gave the results to, I just wanted them today.
I guess, at this point, everyone is ready for the news...Yes, Jimmy has relapsed and will need to undergo chemo again. We will have more info after we go to the follow up appt on Thurs. But, it sounds like they will wait until after the holidays to begin treatment. Based on what I can recall from last time, they need to be able to do 5 consecutive days of infusions. It seems we have time to wait, since we caught it earlier this time. I guess my gut was right afterall. That is why I usually listen to it. Damn my reliable gut.
The good news is that Jimmy is feeling better, despite the need for chemo, he is improving. His infection is clearing up nicely and he is physically able to tolerate more activity. His mood is also improved. We didn't get too stressed out the last time either. What else can you do but take it one day at a time and deal with things. Getting mad, sad, or scared won't change the diagnosis, so you deal with it. We have to stay positive and carry on as normal as possible. We pray for a speedy recover and a longer remission.
Let me again say thank you to everyone for their care, concern, and prayers. We rely on the strength of our family and friends during times like this. We have a great sense of relief just knowing what we are dealing with. Now we know what needs to be done and we can get on with things. Please keep us in your prayers and I will do my best to keep everyone updated.
3 comments:
Both of you stay in my prayers every day anyway. Which prayers and length of time prayed vary with whatever is going on in your lives, that I am aware of... I wake up in the middle of the night and tend to pray the hardest for some reason. I need to talk with you about stress reducing. I have learned about this technique from your sister-in-law as you may have. Trust me, it really, really works. I know you know what it is but maybe you need a refresher. I have a video and three books that are extremely helpful.
As I said before you all are in my prayers. I hope for a speedy recovery and stress free too. Stress only adds to the promblem Like you said take one day at a time, I know that hard to do but concertate on that and conceratate on the good postive things. I love you all and I think of you daily and pray for you everyday too Much Love Martha
I am sorry to hear that Jimmy has relapsed. You seem to be approaching it with the best attitude, though. Remaining positive and cheerful and recognizing all the people who love and care for and pray for you.
I am feeling more and more detached from this material existence the more I experience hardship here because I know that this part of my life is a mere blip. So, just staying present and living in the moment doing what I can to make the world a better place is all I can really expect of myself since none of us never knows how long we have here. I am thankful for every day no matter the difficulties. I try to remember the people in the world who have no shelter, clean water, regular food and it puts everything into perspective. Love you all!
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