Land Of Fruitfullness Part IV

I was supposed to have an appointment at MGH with my doctor. The morning of I got a call saying she was home due to an injury (she was/is ok) and that they needed to change my appointment to a phone appointment. I was actually thrilled about this due to the fact that meant I didn't need to drive all the way into Boston!! 

She called right on time and we chatted. After reviewing all the info that the obstetrician had sent her about his concerns regarding my health and exposure to different chemo drugs she decided that she agreed with him about getting an echocardiogram done before we start any fertility treatments. For those of your who are not familiar with an echocardiogram it is basically an ultrasound of your heart to make sure it it working properly. I was/am not at all concerned about this. I have done numerous races which include triathlons as well as months and month of training involving high impact cardio workouts. So I know if there was a problem I would most likely know by now. But based on some good advice I have been given, I decided it was just another hoop I needed to jump through. 

That spawned my adventure of trying to get not only an appointment but the orders out in for the echo. I called the obstetricians office where they informed me it needed to be ordered through the fertility center and transferred me there. I had wait to the next day to get a call back from them. Where they informed that was not something that was part of their normal protocol that I needed to talk to the obstetrician's office. After much go around about having already talked to them and getting sent back to fertility. They then told me I needed to have my PCP order it at MGH. So that would have involved another lengthy conversation with her office. I was quite frustrated at this point that these two offices couldn't communicate with each other and get it done for me vs. having me go through all this. 

My lymphoma nurse practitioner makes fun of me because I do just about everything  through email. Well in this instance the email succeeded again. I tracked down my OB's email and asked for some help. Despite an awful time I had when I met him he responded quickly and was very pleasant. By the next day they had called with the appointment all setup and ready to go. I was thrilled!!

So I went in for my echo which was very uneventful. The man doing it was extremely nice! I was even more thrilled that this time around I didn't need any contrast to help with the image. He said it was most due to the fact that I had lost so much weight! The only down side is that in order to get a good picture they have to press the ultrasound wand into your body with A LOT of pressure to try and get a good view in between and around your rib cage. I still have spots that are sore.

I haven't gotten the final report yet but based on what the echo tech said everything looked great so hopefully we will see. 

Now I'm just waiting to meet with my fertility doctor and see what she has to say and what the next step is. 

I continue to to play the hurry up and wait game!

Until next time...

HAWMC Day 12: Hindsight

Today's task for WEGO Health's Day 12 Health Activist Writer's Challenge was to think about if you could go back in time and talk to yourself on the day you were diagnosed what would say? Also what have learned about being a patient that has surprised you?

I seem to be starting off most of these the same way that I have a hard time when thinking about the topics. I guess that is a good sign that they are making me really think about my experience with cancer.

I have to say that as far as my "choice" in cancer center, medical team, out look on treatment, and general attitude I would not change a thing. Despite the fact that my chemotherapy regimen was incredibly intense and draining on my body I actually went through it quite well with very little side effects that couldn't be controlled and were really just more annoyances than anything. My medical team was and continues to be fantastic! So I guess the only thing that I would tell myself is to take advantage of the services out there. I found out much later that my cancer center has amazing programs like music and art therapy, various exercises, social workers, support groups, etc. I never took advantage of them and wish that I had. Also I would have loved to have been given the LIVESTRONG guidebook at the beginning of my treatment cause it would be useful for all the reasons I mentioned in my post from yesterday about their app. So I guess the one thing I would really tell myself is don't think you have to go it alone, get involved in your environment because I know it would have helped me and probably would have made some new friends too.

As for what have a learned about being a patient that surprised me is just how vulnerable I was and still am. Having this experience has made me unsure about my health. I think I know what's going on with me and then I find myself and then seem to always second guess myself. It is often find it frustrating just how much it effects me emotionally, it is still a roller coaster ride. I am hoping with time I will develop more confidence in myself and medical knowledge so that I second guess myself less. Luckily I have an amazing oncologist who always makes sure I feel good about what is going on and reassures that I do know what's going on and I am right!