 |
| Treated yesterday in the appropriately-named Garden Room. |
 |
| How can a room NOT have a good vibe with a cozy quilt hanging on the wall? |
 |
| It's all Greek to me..... |
I believe it’s essential that one feels faith and trust with their health care providers. After all, your life is literally in their hands. Doubts or misgivings serve no purpose except to compromise care.
Back on May 7, I wrote about being your own best advocate
when it comes to health. At that time, I
was feeling very antsy because my bone marrow biopsy wasn’t scheduled for
another three weeks. The biopsy was the
last piece in the puzzle to get this cancer thing staged and to find out what I
was up against, so naturally I wanted it done as soon as possible – NOT in
three weeks! So I made a call to the
oncologist’s office, advocated for myself, and got the biopsy moved up to avoid
that interminable wait. It’s a good
feeling to be in charge and in control, even with a little thing like changing
the date of an appointment.
Now, I will preface this next part by saying that I love Dr. Glenn, the oncologist – she has a very calming demeanor, gentle hands, and a great sense of humor. She said this cancer thing was no big deal (which exactly mirrors my philosophy), and her treatment plan (watch-and-wait until I become symptomatic) follows the current protocol for this type and stage of cancer. So it’s all good, right?
But something wasn’t right – an indefinable element that kept buzzing around my head like a fly.
Now, I will preface this next part by saying that I love Dr. Glenn, the oncologist – she has a very calming demeanor, gentle hands, and a great sense of humor. She said this cancer thing was no big deal (which exactly mirrors my philosophy), and her treatment plan (watch-and-wait until I become symptomatic) follows the current protocol for this type and stage of cancer. So it’s all good, right?
But something wasn’t right – an indefinable element that kept buzzing around my head like a fly.
I finally figured it out, and this isn’t going to make a
whole lot of sense: I felt that the
choice of how I was going to face this diagnosis was being decided for me by my
oncologist - even though it was the exact same approach I would take. (See?
I told you it wouldn’t make sense!)
Being diagnosed with Stage IV cancer is a big-ass deal. You know, it's the whole “I-guess-I’m-not-immortal-after-all” revelation. There is no Stage V. I want my oncologist to SAY this is a big-ass deal. Something along the lines of, “My god, woman – YOU HAVE STAGE IV CANCER!!!!!”
Being diagnosed with Stage IV cancer is a big-ass deal. You know, it's the whole “I-guess-I’m-not-immortal-after-all” revelation. There is no Stage V. I want my oncologist to SAY this is a big-ass deal. Something along the lines of, “My god, woman – YOU HAVE STAGE IV CANCER!!!!!”
OK, maybe not THAT bad, but you get what I mean. I want the situation to be acknowledged as a big deal. Sometimes you just want the facts, the straight data – and then YOU want the choice of how to deal with it.
I’m good with the diagnosis. I’ve accepted it. But I wanted to be the one to decide that it’s not a big deal for me personally. I don’t want someone else to tell me that. It’s all part of feeling in control during an uncontrollable situation, and choosing how to react. Wow – I really sound like a control freak, huh?!
So I did some research, weighed the pros and cons, and again
decided to advocate for myself by switching oncologists - same medical group,
same office (they probably even share exam rooms). Dr. Hampshire is someone I’ve heard great
things about, so I’m gonna give him a try.
The 3-month check-up with Dr. Glenn was scheduled for August 17; I was fortunate to get an appointment with Dr. Hampshire for August 20 instead. Because we’re still working within the same medical group, Dr. Hampshire will be able to pull up all my records, reports, scans, etc. and will be able to take the baton from there.
Do I feel bad about leaving Dr. Glenn? Yes. I really like her. But it’s nothing personal against her. That fly was always going to be buzzing around my head if I didn’t do something about it. I felt this was the right time to make the switch, not further down the road when I’m undergoing treatment or sick or stressed.
What are the take-aways from this experience? When it comes to cancer, you gotta advocate for yourself. You gotta be in control. And you gotta do what’s right for you.
Hmmmmm. A lot like life in general, yes?
The 3-month check-up with Dr. Glenn was scheduled for August 17; I was fortunate to get an appointment with Dr. Hampshire for August 20 instead. Because we’re still working within the same medical group, Dr. Hampshire will be able to pull up all my records, reports, scans, etc. and will be able to take the baton from there.
Do I feel bad about leaving Dr. Glenn? Yes. I really like her. But it’s nothing personal against her. That fly was always going to be buzzing around my head if I didn’t do something about it. I felt this was the right time to make the switch, not further down the road when I’m undergoing treatment or sick or stressed.
What are the take-aways from this experience? When it comes to cancer, you gotta advocate for yourself. You gotta be in control. And you gotta do what’s right for you.
Hmmmmm. A lot like life in general, yes?
 |
| This has absolutely nothing to do with anything - I just thought it was funny.....! |
