Sunday, March
9th - Monday, March 10th
After spending a great Sunday with the family, it was time for them to return to Vero for the week again. Our visit was shortened this week due to soccer games, so they didn't arrive until Saturday night. Joanne suggested that Summer (our dog) stay with me for the week to keep me extra company and force me to take a few more walks. I liked the idea and there was no objection from my niece and nephews who ask their parents every day when they're going to get their own dog.
Monday morning I was awake early and joined in the morning school routine with my sister. My nephews are in 1st & 2nd grade and are classic brothers needling one another, playing ball together, and forever competing against each other. With the clock change they were dragging to the bus stop this morning, but we all walked out including Summer. Sure enough, "Mom, when are we going to get a dog?" I don't think my sister and brother-in-law have a choice any longer. My niece woke up after and loves that the dog came to lick her face in the morning. After a little breakfast, they took off to her day care and I settled in to work for the morning.
In the afternoon, I had my first office visit at the Florida Cancer Institute for follow up care. It's located next to the hospital in Orlando. I drove myself down and then spent a good deal of time navigating my way around the building until I found the office where I was supposed to report on the 8th floor. The set up was strange from hallway as it almost seemed like a closet that I was walking into with a reception desk crammed on one side and a few waiting chairs. I signed the paperwork and wait for my name to get called. A tech came out to get me and walked me back through a door which I though led to a simple exam room. Instead, we walked into a large open treatment hall that took up almost the entire length of the building. In the center was the large nurses station with six or so nurses buzzing about. Around the perimeter of the room was recliner chair after recliner chair most filled with patients sitting in them. Next to the chairs were medicine stands with pumps running chemo treatments. There was even a full hospital bed in one of the corners.
When I walked through the door I was hit with an emotional wave. First was the shock at the size of the place that I thought was divided doctor office space. Next, I was overwhelmed with the level of activity that was taking place in the room, as it was essentially an open outpatient treatment hall. Finally, I started feeling very sad as looked around at all the faces who were there doing battle with their own cancer. Most of the floor was women, most of them in their 70s or 80s. So many frail people wearing battle tested faces. In the hospital, the patients were all in separate rooms and frequently behind closed doors. It always felt like 'here are a few of the unlucky ones', but never overwhelming. Now I was staring at a whole new crowd of people that was much bigger and all together in one place. I'm not sure if it was the thought that the number of people in the fight is way bigger than I had imagined or if it was that you had to look them all in the eye at one time, but this was a visceral experience for me that left me feeling depressed.
As for my treatment, the nurse had to change out the dressing that covers and protects my picc line, draw some blood, and give me a booster shot. The dressing turned out to be tricky as the adhesive had fused to the pads under it and pulling it off without hurting me took some extra time and care. Fortunately for me, the nurse was very experienced and did a great job. I admit that today I felt drained from the chemo treatments of last week and needed to lay down when I returned to my sister's house.
Tuesday, March 11th
On Tuesday morning I had an appointment with my Oncologist as well as the labs. I could tell I felt better already than yesterday and arrived at 8:45 for my 9:00 appointment. I was only a few pages into my paperwork when they called me back and the tech took my vitals, showed me to a treatment room, and told me the Dr. would be right in. It was 9:00 and I was impressed how quickly things were moving along. My sister was playing a tennis match and I was hoping to watch the end of it. At 9:30 I had finished my paperwork, caught up on emails, and played a game of solitaire. By 9:45 I was aggravated. By 10:00 I was opening the door back to the hallway and asking what the hell was going on. It wasn't until 10:15 that the Dr. showed up and when he did, he realized that no one had taken a blood sample for him to look at the latest results. My blood pressure was good when they first checked it, but I was about to blow a gasket. Not sure what other industry has this type of indifference towards customers.
Once the visit started it went pretty quickly. My numbers were recovering nicely with the shot from Monday, I would continue the shots for the rest of the week, then he expected my numbers to fall a little next week until my body picked up the slack naturally. Once my body brings the levels back up, we take a two week break then schedule round three. So I'll be back home by Friday and get three weeks there most likely this round.
I returned to the 8th floor for my booster shot and was once again greeted by a room full of totally new faces receiving treatment. While the nursing staff was familiar, every one of the chairs had a different person in it again. This time I smiled as I walked back to my spot. I sat next to a little old lady from Miami who could not have weighed more than 90 lbs and was probably 90 years old. She smiled at me and said it was great to have a handsome man in the unit. Since this is mostly a women's floor for breast and ovarian cancer, there isn't much competition. But it made me realize that we all can find some happiness regardless of our situation. I walked out of the clinic with a smile on my face.
After spending a great Sunday with the family, it was time for them to return to Vero for the week again. Our visit was shortened this week due to soccer games, so they didn't arrive until Saturday night. Joanne suggested that Summer (our dog) stay with me for the week to keep me extra company and force me to take a few more walks. I liked the idea and there was no objection from my niece and nephews who ask their parents every day when they're going to get their own dog.
Monday morning I was awake early and joined in the morning school routine with my sister. My nephews are in 1st & 2nd grade and are classic brothers needling one another, playing ball together, and forever competing against each other. With the clock change they were dragging to the bus stop this morning, but we all walked out including Summer. Sure enough, "Mom, when are we going to get a dog?" I don't think my sister and brother-in-law have a choice any longer. My niece woke up after and loves that the dog came to lick her face in the morning. After a little breakfast, they took off to her day care and I settled in to work for the morning.
In the afternoon, I had my first office visit at the Florida Cancer Institute for follow up care. It's located next to the hospital in Orlando. I drove myself down and then spent a good deal of time navigating my way around the building until I found the office where I was supposed to report on the 8th floor. The set up was strange from hallway as it almost seemed like a closet that I was walking into with a reception desk crammed on one side and a few waiting chairs. I signed the paperwork and wait for my name to get called. A tech came out to get me and walked me back through a door which I though led to a simple exam room. Instead, we walked into a large open treatment hall that took up almost the entire length of the building. In the center was the large nurses station with six or so nurses buzzing about. Around the perimeter of the room was recliner chair after recliner chair most filled with patients sitting in them. Next to the chairs were medicine stands with pumps running chemo treatments. There was even a full hospital bed in one of the corners.
When I walked through the door I was hit with an emotional wave. First was the shock at the size of the place that I thought was divided doctor office space. Next, I was overwhelmed with the level of activity that was taking place in the room, as it was essentially an open outpatient treatment hall. Finally, I started feeling very sad as looked around at all the faces who were there doing battle with their own cancer. Most of the floor was women, most of them in their 70s or 80s. So many frail people wearing battle tested faces. In the hospital, the patients were all in separate rooms and frequently behind closed doors. It always felt like 'here are a few of the unlucky ones', but never overwhelming. Now I was staring at a whole new crowd of people that was much bigger and all together in one place. I'm not sure if it was the thought that the number of people in the fight is way bigger than I had imagined or if it was that you had to look them all in the eye at one time, but this was a visceral experience for me that left me feeling depressed.
As for my treatment, the nurse had to change out the dressing that covers and protects my picc line, draw some blood, and give me a booster shot. The dressing turned out to be tricky as the adhesive had fused to the pads under it and pulling it off without hurting me took some extra time and care. Fortunately for me, the nurse was very experienced and did a great job. I admit that today I felt drained from the chemo treatments of last week and needed to lay down when I returned to my sister's house.
Tuesday, March 11th
On Tuesday morning I had an appointment with my Oncologist as well as the labs. I could tell I felt better already than yesterday and arrived at 8:45 for my 9:00 appointment. I was only a few pages into my paperwork when they called me back and the tech took my vitals, showed me to a treatment room, and told me the Dr. would be right in. It was 9:00 and I was impressed how quickly things were moving along. My sister was playing a tennis match and I was hoping to watch the end of it. At 9:30 I had finished my paperwork, caught up on emails, and played a game of solitaire. By 9:45 I was aggravated. By 10:00 I was opening the door back to the hallway and asking what the hell was going on. It wasn't until 10:15 that the Dr. showed up and when he did, he realized that no one had taken a blood sample for him to look at the latest results. My blood pressure was good when they first checked it, but I was about to blow a gasket. Not sure what other industry has this type of indifference towards customers.
Once the visit started it went pretty quickly. My numbers were recovering nicely with the shot from Monday, I would continue the shots for the rest of the week, then he expected my numbers to fall a little next week until my body picked up the slack naturally. Once my body brings the levels back up, we take a two week break then schedule round three. So I'll be back home by Friday and get three weeks there most likely this round.
I returned to the 8th floor for my booster shot and was once again greeted by a room full of totally new faces receiving treatment. While the nursing staff was familiar, every one of the chairs had a different person in it again. This time I smiled as I walked back to my spot. I sat next to a little old lady from Miami who could not have weighed more than 90 lbs and was probably 90 years old. She smiled at me and said it was great to have a handsome man in the unit. Since this is mostly a women's floor for breast and ovarian cancer, there isn't much competition. But it made me realize that we all can find some happiness regardless of our situation. I walked out of the clinic with a smile on my face.
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