6 Kids, 3 cats, 1 dog, Mom, and Dad

If it was me or Bedside Manner 101.

When your spouse is diagnosed with cancer you are scared. More than anything you want to be sure to support them and also make sure that you're doing the right things, seeing the right doctors, asking the right questions, etc.

Having to deal with relatives that want to go with us to the doctor's office and demand that your test get scheduled sooner is draining. Demands via email, on the phone, or in person that we "do something" makes it feel like we've done nothing.

We would like every test that can conceivably be done performed immediately and the results given to the doctor who ordered them immediately while the doctor stands there by our side, of course.

We don't want to wait and we don't want to make an appointment. Unfortunately, we have to deal with insurance companies, limited resources at hospitals, and the scheduling demands of doctors. We are coping and doing the best we can, why can't they?

By the way, I'm really amazed at how fast things have moved. Beautiful Wife had the melanoma removed from her leg on September 7th and the X-rays were ordered shortly after that. In a month and a half she's had an x-ray, CT scan, PET scan, given blood for two series of tests, seen an oncologist, and consulted with a thoracic surgeon. Within two months of having the melanoma removed she'll have had an additional CT scan of her brain and a PFT (pulmonary fitness test).

So while it seems like we've waited, and we have, we're assured that the right things are being done, the right questions are being asked, and that we are not being asked to wait beyond what is reasonable. Now if we could only convince our relatives...

Posted by bbarton at October 26, 2004 03:03 PM