From the category archives:

Doctor's Appointment

My Gynecologist Was a Drug Pusher

August 1, 2009

Dr. Bored, my gynecologist for more than a decade, was a drug pusher and his drug of choice was Premarin.
-Take this and you will feel great.
-But I feel great. A little insomnia perhaps, but don’t you need less sleep as you age?
-Premarin will take care of it.
-A little creaky sometimes.
-Premarin will take care of your [...]

Read the full article →

MRI Designer Should Design Airline Seats

July 30, 2009

It is strange to begin one’s day by driving to the “Magnolia Cancer Center. ”
“This place cannot be for me,” I think. My husband admits that he, too, gets a jolt at the sight of the large blue sign with white text. The cafeteria, the halls, and the waiting rooms are filled, mostly with old [...]

Read the full article →

Dr. Guru’s Game Plan

July 7, 2009

Dr. Guru’s game plan is simple enough, provided there are no complications revealed by further tests and procedures.
Lumpectomy followed by radiation, followed by five years on Tamoxifen. (I don’t argue with him about  Tamoxifen. I don’t bring up  Astra Zeneca’s conflict as a maker of both cancer drugs and potent carcinogens. )
Dr. Guru looks surprised.
“I [...]

Read the full article →

Finally – First Meeting with the Surgical Oncologist

July 5, 2009

Finally, I meet with Dr. Guru, my surgeon oncologist, after a two week wait. It seems like ten light years.
The waiting room is enormous, empty except for an elderly couple. I notice that they do not carry an over-sized,  brown x-ray envelope, like I do. The staff in the reception  is slow and overweight, not [...]

Read the full article →

My First–And Last–Visit with Dr. Morte, Part II

June 26, 2009

“What are undifferentiated cells?” I ask my new gynecologist, Dr. Morte, as he reluctantly stumbles through my pathology report.
Undifferentiated cells sound pretty good to me. If cancer cells are no different from normal cells in my body, would that not be a good sign?
“You have to ask your oncologist. I don’t know the answer.” Dr. [...]

Read the full article →

My First–And Last–Visit with Dr. Morte, Part I

June 21, 2009

Doctor Morte, my new gynecologist, looks ascetic, with a largish, oval head on a thin neck stem. Thick accent. Is he Persian? I cannot place the accent, and it bothers me. I used to be good at identifying foreign accents and nationalities.
He sits on a chair across from the awful examination table with the steely [...]

Read the full article →

Breast Cancer is NEVER an Emergency!

June 20, 2009

Just before his office closes, I get an appointment for two weeks later with Dr. Guru, an oncology surgeon.
“First available? Are you sure?”
“Yes, that is the earliest. We want your x-rays from the Breast Care Center brought over here well before that, and we want your biopsy results faxed over right away. Then we need [...]

Read the full article →

Next Entries →