Thursday, September 18, 2008

What Not To Say

"Che palle!" as Margaret would say. It's been quite a day and I can only give you the abridged version. I have a BLOOD CLOT in my neck and an "irritated" (read: enflamed) lymph node causing tremendous pain. Could it be caused by a large foreign object recently inserted in the area? Uh...yeah. But I should go home and put warm compresses on it, I was told. I could not understand why I was sent home without an Rx for blood thinners. It was one of those "uh-oh" feelings that I have learned not to ignore.

I dashed an email to Dr. A asking about this and several other things and asked him to please call me when he had a moment. And here's what Dr. A had to say, in a rather dismissive tone: “Well, you've got a foreign object in your body so there is always the chance of problems. It's not the end of the world."

And for the second time in our relationship, I think to myself:
This man had better be one kick-ass oncologist,
because his bedside manner blows chunks.

UPDATE: I'm not sure why the change of attitude, but I will be on a blood thinner, after all; in fact, I get to give myself more belly shots. It just doesn't seem fair, one girl getting to have all the fun.

I would like to tell other MM patients that my experience is atypical. If 98% of all patients never have a problem or issue with a port, you can count on me to lead that 2% pack. Remember Toxic Shock Syndrome from the 80s? Yes, I'm one of the few survivors.
at

4 comments:

  1. Kathy from NJSeptember 18, 2008 at 9:52 PM

    I am so sorry that you are going through this. I mailed your package on Tuesday, you should get it tomorrow. My friend's husband also has a port and she said the bandages will probably not work. Sorry. But you can put them with your other first aid supplies and use them as a general bandage. My father used those belly shots for ten days prior to AAA surgery. The needles are very tiny and should not hurt; the idea of giving yourself a needle is pretty gross.

    ReplyDelete
  2. La CootinaSeptember 19, 2008 at 9:44 AM

    Nah, it's not too bad. Between the insulin (belly) and the Neupogen (thigh) I'm getting to be an expert. I still maintain that taking out the source of irritation (the port) but they are refusing -- at least for now.

    ReplyDelete
  3. acsgreatwestSeptember 19, 2008 at 4:03 PM

    My name is Kim and I am working with the American Cancer Society on a new project that will give newly diagnosed cancer patients access to ACS’s “Patient Navigators” online, through a chat window. It’s a free service and we’d like to expand the program if there is a good response. Considering your readership, I was hoping you would consider making a post to let readers know it exists? The landing page is at: http://acs-gwd.zodeca.com/chatform2.aspx if you want to check it out. My email address is acsgreatwest@gmail.com if you would like to email me directly.
    Thanks so much,
    Kim

    ReplyDelete
  4. La CootinaSeptember 19, 2008 at 6:12 PM

    I am looking into "Kim's" request but right now am not offering any recommendation or endorsement.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.