My Journey: World Lymphoma Awareness Day 2011 and My Appointment.

Me, Shannon,(Tim Horton's Mgr) and my Uncle Don

This year the timing of my next follow up appointment with my medical oncologist, just happened to coincide with World Lymphoma Awareness day. The day started as usual with my morning coffee with my Uncle at Tim Horton's, but that was it today, no walk.

My appointment at the Windsor Regional Cancer Program was for 9:15am so I had my Uncle drop me off there just after 7:30am. Yeah, I know sounds a bit early, but normally would not have been. The lab opens at 8:00am, and, I thought, I was suppose to get blood work done before my visit with the Dr. Nope, no blood work today, not in the system. I was sure I was to get blood work every 3 months but apparently not.

So yes, I was indeed very early now. There was other things I could get out of the way however, like doing my ESAS on the computer, getting my pager to be called with when they are ready for me, and then drop off the ESAS printout and Dr's paperwork at the Pod A desk. I also took this time to go and weigh myself for the Dietitian whom I would see after my Dr. appointment, also there was an appointment with my social worker afterward as well.

While waiting I went into the Patient Resource Library and looked up some things on line, and checked out what new books were in. It was while I was in there that my pager went off! What? pager? already?, Not to knock it but this is probably the earliest I have ever gotten in to see the Dr.! Nice. Well maybe not, Brenda is not here yet, as it is only 8:45am and my appointment was for 9:15am so she was on her way but not here yet.

Well, don't get too excited, it was just my primary nurse calling me in to do my vitals and go over my ESAS and any new concerns. Yes, there were new concerns, concern about this lower abdominal pain I have been having. I told her I had seen my family doctor about it, and that he had it pegged as Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I told her that after taking the medications he gave me with no results, I quit taking them. There had been two different medications he had me on, first was Dicetel, and after that did not seem to help he put me on Donparidone which did not help either. I also told her I would not leave today without a scan or ultrasound appointment. We need to get to the bottom of this.

It was while I was in the examination room waiting for the Dr. to come in that Brenda finally arrived, whew! You see, with my memory the way it is, chemo brain and all, I really need her there to take notes and remember what was said, because I know I would never remember, or at least screw up what was said. That is how I got here early in the first place, something I thought the Dr. had said in the past, but didn't of course.

When the Dr. finally came in she went over the primary nurses notes with me and asked me to jump up on the table to examine me, and then lie down to check out my abdomen. After poking around for just a bit, she hit the spot, the spot that when pushed on feels like someone sticking a knife in me and twisting it. Yeah, OK, I walked into that one! But there it was, the spot that causes all the pain and she found it. Although she does not believe it to be lymphoma related, she is ordering a scan to have a look, just to make sure, she does not want to rule anything out at this stage.

She also felt that even though there was a decrease in one of the nodes on my neck, she felt there was a slight increase in size on the ones under my chin and on the side of my jaw. She has also ordered blood work for the follow up visit for the scan results when I get them. The Dr. also informed me that she would be going on a three week sabbatical, and she would put me in the hands of a new oncologist at the cancer center, Dr. Gupta. Dr. Gupta has come to us from the U.S. where she was before us. It was also agreed that I might just be good to have another set of eyes and opinions on my case. I agreed that I would see Dr. Gupta in her absence.

So, folks, that pretty much leaves us where we are now, in a holding pattern waiting on appointment dates. I think I will give diagnostic imaging dept. a call in the morning to go on a cancellation list, unless of course they are getting me in quickly anyways.

I've also pretty much put out all the information I can for Lymphoma Awareness Day. Hopefully this year we have gotten the attention of the Governments to recognize the urgency for Lymphoma Awareness, and the funding to bring some of these new chemo medications on board and to get out the message to young adults that early detection of symptoms is the key to getting a chance at having Lymphoma treated as a chronic disease much the same a diabetes.
Hope, it's something we have right?