With respect to health care, this has been a roller-coaster week for me emotionally.  Things started very badly, but the good “guys” pulled me through.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I have been disappointed in Dr. L’s care recently.  That has continued, with several more problems concerning my most recent chemo treatment and the after-care.  All the issues boil down to inattention on her part, leading me to believe that the poor woman either has far too many patients or has something overwhelming going on in her own life.  Either way, I feel very bad for her and very frustrated for myself and whichever other patients are getting the short end of the stick.

To top that off,  on Monday afternoon, I saw an ophthalmologist who was not very knowledgeable and who was rude and condescending.  He even went so far as to tell me that my fantastic opthhalmologist and my top-of-his-field retina specialist in Winnipeg don’t know what they are talking about.  These people have been caring for me for several years, and have even sent me to the Ottawa Eye Institute for advanced testing.  Their knowledge and professionalism on their worst day far surpasses anything that Dr. Yokel can muster on his best.  After I saw this man, I was ready to throw in the towel.  I sat in the grocery store parking lot and cried.  I felt that if my doctors didn’t care about me, there was no reason to continue with this arduous treatment.  The fact that I had developed pancytopenia with severe neutropenia didn’t help matters at all, but I didn’t have confirmation of that fact at the time.

Fortunately, when Terry and I went to my scheduled appointment with Dr. L. on Tuesday, she was so busy and so far behind that she didn’t have time to see me.  She sent in Dr. S., who is not even an oncologist, but who was, as Terry put it, “exactly what [I] needed”.  She was extremely knowledgeable, kind and caring.  Hallelujah!  She told me that my blood counts (red, white and platelets) were too low to do chemo as scheduled on Wednesday.  She, in consultation with Dr. L., prescribed higher and more doses of neupogen injections.  (Now we’re up to $3900 every 3 weeks for neupogen alone — thank God for a good drug plan!)  Dr. S. also suggested that the next time I have purpura and bleeding incidents because of low platelets, I need to come in to the hospital.  I knew that when it was happening, but I said to Terry at the time, “If I had received a better reception when I had called in the past, I would call now, but forget it!”

Dr. S. also got me in to see the head of ophthalmology at U. of Toronto, who was in town for the day.  This man, Dr. H., was also wonderful.  We discussed my situation, and he asked me if I am a physician!  LOL  He problem-solved with me and for me.  He made four suggestions, two of which we are already doing.  The two new ones are pre-medicating with oral prednisone two days prior to chemo and using a corticosteroid eye ointment.  We didn’t have a chance to do the former this cycle because I didn’t see a doctor at the cancer clinic after I saw him, but we can put it in place for the next cycle.  I am so grateful to have seen Dr. H.  It was amazing to be treated with respect.  During my low point on Monday, I had said to Terry, “I’m a person, not just a bunch of cancer numbers!”  Both Dr. S. and Dr. H. recognized that fact and treated me with respect and kindness.

Second Day Hydration At Home With Owen

Finally, at the chemo unit yesterday, I had a very caring nurse.  Not only did she do her regular job with skill and kindness, but she also had to keep tracking down Dr. L, who hadn’t written chemo orders yet, then forgot to order end-of-the-day i.v. antiemetics and second-day hydration.  Because the hydration orders didn’t go through on time, the meds and i.v. pump didn’t go out with the pharmacy’s delivery driver.  As a result, another “good guy” came to the rescue.  The owner of the pharmacy, himself, brought me all the supplies.

Of course, throughout this whole week of ups and downs, my darling Terry and my kind and generous friends have been the constants who kept me from crashing on the rocks.  I could not have made it through my low points without any of them.  They are the “good guys” who are always there for me, never out-of-reach.  They are the people I love and cherish, the reasons I keep going.

Thank you all for being there for me.  Thank you for giving me a life worth fighting for.  You are my heroes.