Once a Cancer Patient, always a Cancer Patient?

So, a bit has happened since my last blog post. On Tuesday October 4th I seen Dr. Gupta at the Cancer Center. Dr. G. is new here at our Cancer Center in Windsor, ON. and is currently filling in for my regular oncologist, who is on sabbatical.


Dr. Gupta graduated from Government Medical College in Amritsar, India 2003, completed her residency in internal medicine at Wayne State / Detroit  Medical Centre (DMC) and her Fellowship at Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute. She is a member of the American Society of Oncology and Hematology (ASCO), American Society of Hematology (ASH), American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) and the American Medical Association (AMA). Dr. Gupta joined the Cancer Program in 2011 and her specialty areas are breast, lung, hematology and gynecology.


She seems good at what she does. She had researched my history before I seen her and had familiarized herself with all I have been through. She also gave me a full check up, and spent time checking my abdomen, I had told her about the pains I'd been having. She said she did feel something that did not seem right but, she stated that there was nothing showing in the C/T, ultrasound, or x-rays that I had done two weeks prior.

I also informed her that I would be seeing Dr. Peer, an internist later that same day. I have to say, I was impressed with the time she spent with me.  When I asked if she was here to stay, she stated that she would be here for a least a year, and then take it from there.She had even called me back the next day with an answer to a question I had asked at my appointment.

Later that same day, the 4th of Oct. I seen Dr. Peer. in the afternoon. Again another appointment I was impressed with. Dr. Peer, also was very pleasant and took the time to listen to my concerns. We sat down in his office for a consultation first, followed by a full exam, and then back in his office to discuss things. After I brought him up to speed on my history, he said that he would like to have me in for the colonoscopy A.S.A.P. and to see his booking secretary to book the procedure.

The booking secretary stated she had an opening for this coming Tuesday October 11th, but with it being Thanksgiving weekend here, she did not want me not enjoying the festivities, so she booked me for Friday the 7th October, which meant I had to start the prep immediately! So having had a bowl of cereal and a coffee and donut in between appointments, that was going to be it, nothing more to eat until after the procedure on Friday. She then gave me a prescription for Pico-Salax to get the ball rolling so to speak.

Oh what a joy the next three days were, besides the fact of nothing but fluids for those days, there were of course were the other effects that go along with the "clean out" process. Friday could not come fast enough. From the time I started taking the Pico-Salax Wednesday afternoon, the parade was on from my perch here in front of my laptop, to my throne in the other part of the apartment. I think I wore a path in the carpeting!

Finally, Friday the day of my procedure was here! Brenda had me at Windsor Regional Hospital Met Campus for 8:00am. My appointment was for 8:30am and I was told to check into admitting for 8:15am. After getting checked into admitting we headed down to the Endoscopy area on the lower level and got checked in there. After about a half hour wait, I was called to the window and given a questionnaire/history paper to fill out and consent form to sign.

I was about another twenty minutes or so before I was finally called in. Once in the wait/recovery room I changed into one of those wonderful hospital gowns and hooked up to an IV. Of course once all that was done and I laid there for about five minutes, I had to go! Couldn't have happened before I was all hooked up and had to drag a pole into the washroom with me. Once back on the gurney, it was about another twenty minutes or so before the nurse finally come and wheeled me into the procedure room. A shot of conscious sedation and the procedure was under way.

I did mange to watch most of the procedure on the monitor. We were not far into the procedure when there it was, a dreaded polyp! The damn thing looked huge on the monitor, but of course it was magnified, and when I spoke with the nurse later back in the recovery room, she stated it was "just a tiny one", but would still be sent away for pathology. No mention, nor do I remember much more from during the procedure, about what might be causing my abdominal pain. Just some paper work about polyps and told to call Dr. Peer for a follow-up to go over the outcome of the procedure with him in three weeks.

First things first, as soon as we got to the hospital lobby, it was straight to the Tim Horton's counter for a coffee! Ahhhh, now we're talking.  I was so dry I was spittin' sawdust. From there we headed home, and soon as I got settled back at home, it was time for a bowl of Multi-Grain Cheerios! Food once again!

To go back a bit, to while I was waiting, one of the nurses from the chemo suite at the Cancer Center walked by and said hello, and sorry to see me there, jokingly of course, referring to being in the Endoscopy waiting room, then, once I was inside and being wheeled into the procedure room, another familiar nurse from Four West, Oncology unit said hello. I guess she's working down in Endoscopy now. Once I was in the procedure room, I had heard her say to one of the other nurses out in the hallway, "Tim is one of my old oncology patients from when I was on Four West".

That brought me to pondering a thought as I was writing this post today, is it really true?, Once a cancer patient, always a cancer patient? I believe that may be true of most cancer patients, from talking with survivors and patients alike, I've found that most agree that there really isn't a day that goes by that you don't think about, all the tests, results, what's next, or worrying about every little ache and pain and wondering, is "it" back?

Speaking for myself, I don't think there is a day that goes by that I don't think about "it" either. The little or big pains, the tests, the Dr. visits. It all adds up to always being just that, a cancer patient. Of course for me that is true anyway, I am currently still a cancer patient, doing the watch and wait thing, but I speak of others out there, that have discussed the issue with me of always being a cancer patient, the worries about "it" being back.

So today, I put that all aside, or at least try to fool myself I did, and save that for another day. Brenda and I, along with her mom and brother will be celebrating Thanksgiving, and giving thanks for our lives, and all that is a part of them. So from our table to yours, I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving, enjoy.