Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Sorry for not updating you all sooner but as usual time is just flying by.


You all were aware that I had a CT Scan and ECHO on June 12. Pretty routine you would think but if have read any of my adventures in the past nothing is routine. Arrived at 6:45AM for an 8:00AM appointment (for some unexplained reason which no one could explain intelligently you must be there 1 hour before your appointment). The waiting game began. Supervisor Dave (who I have a hard time picking on since he really is a nice man) proceeded to tell me that there was a mix up with my orders and they couldn’t get hold of anyone until after 8:00 – WRONG! Not being one known for patience I proceeded to have the nurse who set up the test paged. She wasn’t at work yet but did call me back and asked to talk to Dave. Since she was new she did in fact have my orders mixed up and advised Dave what the right test was suppose to be. Unfortunately all orders must go through the Bozoputer and I had to wait until she arrived to make the corrections. Not a good way to start off the day! When I was done with the CT Scan it was off to have the ECHO done. Finally got out of the hospital at 10:30 – long morning.

Later that afternoon I received a call from my doctors office saying that she was going to be very busy the next day and asked if I would mind seeing one of her Residents ( must be part of her training strategy – have them see me and if they don’t go running they are a keeper) so I wouldn’t have to wait. I “jokingly” said to the scheduler that I was expecting test results and didn’t want any bad news coming from anyone but my doctor. In the mean time I remembered I added a Thyroid test to my blood work to make sure the meds I am taking were working right. They were so I gave her the results and asked for a new script so I could stay on the existing dosage. She emailed back no problem and added that she had the results of my scan and it came back stable and added “which seems good to me!!” Now those who know me pretty well know how competitive I am especially with myself. I always have to do better. Practical side of the brain is screaming that this is good and I should remember the times when it went the other way and I wanted stable. However the impractical side is disappointed that I didn’t have a small decrease in size. All and all I am happy that it hasn’t grown. I get to go through this in another 6 weeks (July 24).

The next day we were back to the hospital for the doctors appointment and chemo. Sat over an hour waiting to be called to see the Resident. Because the chemo I am on is a trial drug they will not start formulating it until I physically arrive to Infusion. This chemo is not made in the Infusion Pharmacy but in a facility outside the hospital so we also have to wait for it to be delivered. I have waited up to 2.5 hours from the time checking in until it was ready. Because of this I proceeded to Infusion to check in. It is pretty routine that when the doctor is running late they come to Infusion to see you. Well the Resident must have gotten forewarning about me (LOL) because she never showed up. From the Infusion waiting room you could hear them call out the names to see the doctors and I was never called. I must have fallen through the cracks.

As I relay these stories to you I laugh thinking the University of Chicago is ranked number 2 (they try harder) in the city. I hate to see what goes on in those ranked well below them. My opinion is that the hospital is ranked based on the excellent care and knowledge of the Doctors and Nurses and they do not take into consideration everything else that happens around that place.

Hoping your enjoying the hot weather that has come upon us. Remember to wear sunscreen when your out!!!

Just put on those flip flops and Keep on Dancin’!