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Yesterday, September 9 2016, must have really been Friday The 13th in a very clever disguise. 😈
It was a nice sunny lovely day to begin with, and we headed to the Cancer Center for my appointment. Got through the sign-in line in no time, and in a very short time my buzzer called me to the lab. I noticed the nurse was directing me toward the right for an arm draw, so I reminded her that I had a port (done on the left side of the room). She made a big fuss about my being marked for arm not port, and why didn't I ....blah blah blah. So she put me in a port chair. The port nurse got my blood half taken when it was about to quit. That idiot port nurse said "I know what to do!", and without warning dropped the back of the chair so I'd be in a lying position, but my feet were still hanging down, which stretched my stomach muscles. She did finish the draw, though, but the port needle stuck and hard to remove. Ouch.* I made a discovery on this much later.
When it was time for my appointment with the Doctor, my buzzer was saying "Get back to the lab!". Seems my port draw "fell apart" in the lab. This time I chose the arm draw because my port area was a bit sore. No problem with the blood flow this time.
So we hurried back to the other end of the hall to see my oncologist. I GOT THE BIOPSY INFO! Seems that my bone marrow has developed fibroids. My blood condition is now called "My-el-o Fibrosis". It's not so good. When your bone marrow starts developing fibroids, the new blood the body makes is more difficult to pass through the marrow. His plan is to just observe how my blood is building back up naturally for the coming months. No treatments of any kind for a while. I will have monthly appointments for a while.
[The good news is that we have planned around next month's date so we can attend my Namesake Granddaughter's wedding cruise!!! If I feel a lack of energy, my appointment will include a blood infusion to have more energy that week.]
I did ask that if the doctor I'm seeing on Monday is planning my colostomy reversal, is it safe to have the surgery? He said yes. (I will be so glad to be rid of the colostomy bags.) Again, when I see that doc, I will as about scheduling it at a time to not interfere with the wedding. I believe my oncologist plans to speak with the next doctor about it. They're on the "same team", after all.
We will see what Monday's appointment brings. My oncologist did ask that his nurse set up the nurses on the next doctor's team take a look at my colonoscopy right away. His nurse said to wait in the Cafe, have lunch, and she'd come get us.
So we're in the Cafe and ordered lunch. About 30 minutes later the nurse comes in for us, but our lunch hadn't arrived! So she says have lunch and then return to the clinic. I don't know what was going on behind the counter, but they forgot to put our order in. E had a few words with the gal who took the order.
In 15 minutes it was done, but Ellis had left the Cafe for a few minutes. The guy just left the paper-plate lunches on the counter for pick up. One of the nurses there on break saw I'd have to make 2 trips, with my cane, so she motioned for me to sit and she brought them to our table.
I can't believe they had these two idiot servers working the counter. No apologies for their mistake, and they wasted a bit more time arguing about whose fault that delay was.
Finally we made it back to the clinic and the two nurses discussed the colonoscopy bags/stoma, etc. They took a look at mine. I'd just had a new bag put on that morning, and trust me, Ellis does a better job than many of the nurses applying this just so, getting the gelled adhesive just right, so it was a big surprise.....this had already started to leak! Phewy! Fortunately it hadn't gotten to my muumuu. But they gave us samples of a different style of bag after cleaning the area and changing my colostomy bag there.
* later that night I recalled the fallback of the lab chair. The stretching of my stomach muscles. That's how my colostomy bag was loosened! Of course!
So that is how Friday went. Now it's just a waiting matter until Monday's appointment, and see how that works out. May it not be another Friday The 13th in a clever disguise! 😏
It was a nice sunny lovely day to begin with, and we headed to the Cancer Center for my appointment. Got through the sign-in line in no time, and in a very short time my buzzer called me to the lab. I noticed the nurse was directing me toward the right for an arm draw, so I reminded her that I had a port (done on the left side of the room). She made a big fuss about my being marked for arm not port, and why didn't I ....blah blah blah. So she put me in a port chair. The port nurse got my blood half taken when it was about to quit. That idiot port nurse said "I know what to do!", and without warning dropped the back of the chair so I'd be in a lying position, but my feet were still hanging down, which stretched my stomach muscles. She did finish the draw, though, but the port needle stuck and hard to remove. Ouch.* I made a discovery on this much later.
When it was time for my appointment with the Doctor, my buzzer was saying "Get back to the lab!". Seems my port draw "fell apart" in the lab. This time I chose the arm draw because my port area was a bit sore. No problem with the blood flow this time.
So we hurried back to the other end of the hall to see my oncologist. I GOT THE BIOPSY INFO! Seems that my bone marrow has developed fibroids. My blood condition is now called "My-el-o Fibrosis". It's not so good. When your bone marrow starts developing fibroids, the new blood the body makes is more difficult to pass through the marrow. His plan is to just observe how my blood is building back up naturally for the coming months. No treatments of any kind for a while. I will have monthly appointments for a while.
[The good news is that we have planned around next month's date so we can attend my Namesake Granddaughter's wedding cruise!!! If I feel a lack of energy, my appointment will include a blood infusion to have more energy that week.]
I did ask that if the doctor I'm seeing on Monday is planning my colostomy reversal, is it safe to have the surgery? He said yes. (I will be so glad to be rid of the colostomy bags.) Again, when I see that doc, I will as about scheduling it at a time to not interfere with the wedding. I believe my oncologist plans to speak with the next doctor about it. They're on the "same team", after all.
We will see what Monday's appointment brings. My oncologist did ask that his nurse set up the nurses on the next doctor's team take a look at my colonoscopy right away. His nurse said to wait in the Cafe, have lunch, and she'd come get us.
So we're in the Cafe and ordered lunch. About 30 minutes later the nurse comes in for us, but our lunch hadn't arrived! So she says have lunch and then return to the clinic. I don't know what was going on behind the counter, but they forgot to put our order in. E had a few words with the gal who took the order.
In 15 minutes it was done, but Ellis had left the Cafe for a few minutes. The guy just left the paper-plate lunches on the counter for pick up. One of the nurses there on break saw I'd have to make 2 trips, with my cane, so she motioned for me to sit and she brought them to our table.
I can't believe they had these two idiot servers working the counter. No apologies for their mistake, and they wasted a bit more time arguing about whose fault that delay was.
Finally we made it back to the clinic and the two nurses discussed the colonoscopy bags/stoma, etc. They took a look at mine. I'd just had a new bag put on that morning, and trust me, Ellis does a better job than many of the nurses applying this just so, getting the gelled adhesive just right, so it was a big surprise.....this had already started to leak! Phewy! Fortunately it hadn't gotten to my muumuu. But they gave us samples of a different style of bag after cleaning the area and changing my colostomy bag there.
* later that night I recalled the fallback of the lab chair. The stretching of my stomach muscles. That's how my colostomy bag was loosened! Of course!
So that is how Friday went. Now it's just a waiting matter until Monday's appointment, and see how that works out. May it not be another Friday The 13th in a clever disguise! 😏
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