Hell Day

 

Horrible day.

And I am pretty sure I was the worst patient ever. My mood is usually pretty good. But today I reached my end. Clearly, none of these scheduling people have an understanding of what someone feels like going through chemo and which days are not good.

This was the day from hell.

The only appointment I was supposed to have was my PT appointment with a lymphedema specialist for my arm. Then they added an MRI. The good MRI.

Follow up with radiologist oncologist.

Then they added another appointment … a neurologist.

The whole reason for it was because the original MRI showed a fluid filled benign thing (The name escapes me now) and a small spot they were unsure of. Tiny.

It appears the small spot is a met. A speck of cancer. Very small. It is the same size as it was on the previous MRI, so it didn’t get bigger. That’s a good thing.

The radiologist oncologist said usually they grow and more would appear and in his words, “The treatment is doing its job. But ….”

They want to do something called Stereotactic radiosurgery. A one and done procedure where a tiny beam pin points the spot. They will  not be touching the benign spot.

He is confident that it will be gone after the procedure.

Good God.

That’s the medical update. Here is my day.

After getting up ungodly early, I had my daughter drop me off at the MRI figuring it was going to be a long day and my son would pick me up.

Directions say enter the building, take the elevator. What the directions didn’t say was it was a long walk through the hospital on the opposite side of the building.

The MRI wasn’t as bad as the first one. They blocked a lot of the noise and it took only ten minutes.

After, I asked the MRI people where the doctor’s office was. They asked, “Are you okay to walk?”

Sure. They failed to see it was in another part of the campus, through winding hallways across a walking bridge. It took me fifteen minutes to walk there.

I put on nearly 2000 steps.

At that appointment I let them have it. I was like ‘Do you realize how far of a walk it is for someone having chemo symptoms of fatigue and nausea?”

I was not a happy camper.

After the radiologist I saw the neurologist, then I had to get a CT scan to map where they’d do the treatment and they made this mask for my face.

For one treatment.

They placed this wet mesh thing over my face until it hardened. I get to keep it when I am done. I think I’ll do a zombie mask.

After, they came out with an appointment card that read, ‘6:15 am’, I told them take that card and find another time.

Seriously, do they think no one has a life? Just give them any appointment.

Finally, 4 hours later, I am leaving to go to my PT.

I was exhausted, dehydrated and still had an hour drive. Thankfully the PT was near home. But there was some mix up and my appointment was delayed almost an hour.

I’m still miserable and haven’t been able to eat.

I did take a long nap. Hoping at some point this evening, I’ll feel better.

Sorry for venting.