Momdate April 19th

Two weeks ago she underwent another PET scan to determine the current status of her bone cancer. She has been sleeping a lot of late, very little appetite and quite a bit of pain in her hip. While the primary reason for the scan was for ensuring that the cancer had not spread beyond the bone, the doctor was also concerned about the pain.

Now call me crazy or just a bit insane but it has always been my understanding that once a test has been run, especially one has important has a PET scan, that the doctor would discuss the results with the patient ASAP. Of course I could be wrong and apparently in this case I am.

Just has she has in the past after her monthly injections she went to the doctor for the results. Rather than sitting her down with said oncologist the nurse handed her a print out of her results and offhandedly mentioned that they looked pretty good. Upon inquiring mom found out that she would not be seeing the doctor again until May.

As coincidence would have it she ran in to her doctor in the hallway as she left the clinic. The “great man” managed to stop for all of thirty seconds, obviously more important patients or his golf clubs awaited. He gave mom one of those condescending superior smiles and managed a complete sentence before disappearing down the hallway. In short, he said her scan looked pretty good and that they would discuss it in more detail during her next appointment.

Pretty good I am sure has many definitions depending on who is using the phrase and in what context. One would hope that on average an oncologist would be able to even in passing provide a brief but somewhat clearer diagnosis than pretty good.

Apparently, at least according to “dr. god” pretty good is defined in the following context. The bone cancer showed slight improvement in the lower back where the radiation treatment was targeted. However, her hip shows an increase in the amount of cancer cells and has deteriorated since the previous scan. The cancer does not appear to have spread beyond the bone. Oh, and for some reason the heart muscle has become inflamed.

I would hate to hear what “dr. god” would have to say if someone was doing just okay. From the sounds of his pretty good the patient who was okay would be in ICU or something.

Despite the stress of the situation mom is taking it pretty well. Rather than worry herself sick she took a few proactive steps. She has appointments to see both the oncologist and the cardiologist the first week of May.

Before that though she will be spending a few days in Hawaii with my brother, his two daughters and his granddaughter. Taking some much needed R&R before doing battle once again with the arrogant jackass who calls himself a doctor.