Wednesday, March 10, 2010

These are not a few of my favorite things

I had my 6 month visit to Dana-Farber today. I really dislike (perhaps hate) going up there. I like my doctor, but it is possibly one of the most depressing and crowded places I have been. It is a good thing I am not claustrophobic. Aside from the 2 hour ride to get there, I also learned that my last PCR test was actually not done. I had blood drawn in December and I called two weeks later to find out the results. The doctor told me it was undetectable, but he was reading my test result from September and not December. I am pretty upset about this for several reasons. On a practical level, I was mad because we drove up to the hospital on a Saturday. I waited two hours for a nurse to draw my blood. Apparently, that same nurse also forgot to send my blood for the test. Also, now I have not had a PCR test for 6 months despite the fact that this is supposed to happen every 3 months. There is nothing I can do about it now.

At today's visit, I had my blood drawn again and it was definitely sent for the PCR test today. My wife also asked about an H1N1 test, since I never had one. Thinking this would be a fast and simple process, I agreed to have this done. I was then told to go to the infusion room. I then waited a half hour. When I got in to have the shot, a nurse comes over with the needle. Guess who it was? The same nurse who lost my blood. I did not say anything because I am sure she has seen hundreds of patients since she saw me last.

Anyway, the waiting game begins again. I will have results in a couple of weeks. In May, back to Portland for a more pleasant oncology appointment.

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