The afternoon dragged on. My second sister called and said our Mom was sitting in the waiting room at her office. We had decided not to tell her anything until I had more information, but my sister asked me if she should go ahead and tell her so she'd get the news in person. I said yes. Roger called one of the pastors at church, but told him to keep it among the staff until we knew more.
Rebekah was planning to go to a movie and dinner with the youth group Thursday afternoon, and the theater is near the oncology office, so we decided I would drop her off. I told her I had a meeting to go to. We arrived early, so I waited with her until someone else from church arrived. I was supposed to be at the Cancer Center at 3:30 for my 4:00 appointment, but I didn't arrive until 3:45. I walked into the building and saw a door leading to the Cancer Center, but it was marked for employees only. I went to the registration desk, but no-one was manning it. I was already stressed out, and this wasn't helping. Finally, a nurse who was leaving for the day walked by and told me she could show me where the entrance to the Cancer Center is. There is a separate outside entrance.
I began filling out the stack of new patient paperwork. I wasn't quite finished with it when I was called back to the lab. Unlike most doctor offices, everyone who assisted in my care told me their names. Since cancer patients usually see their health care providers a lot, maybe they put more priority on being personable and personal. I was composed until Brenda started drawing blood, then I began fighting tears. She quickly and effectively distracted me with small talk about family and where I was from. I was taken to an exam room where I continued filling out my medical history form. The nursing assistant came and took my vitals. My blood pressure was high and she asked if I was nervous. First oncology visit - yeah, I was nervous. She asked if I wanted anything to drink while I waited and I asked for water. She even refilled it several times during the wait.
After awhile, the nurse manager came by and apologized for the wait and asked if I needed a blanket or anything. I was getting cold. The blanket they brought had been warmed and felt really good. Finally, Dr. Wehbie came in and introduced himself. He got right to business and told me I have leukemia. He explained some details about what leukemia is and the various types of leukemia. He said that based on my bloodwork, he thinks I have chronic myelogenous leukemia and circled CML on the paper in front of him. I asked if, in terms of having leukemia, having CML is good or bad. He said it's good because the treatment for CML has been revolutionized in the past 10-20 years. He added that if it was acute leukemia, he would send me straight to the hospital from his office. He went and got some booklets about CML and told me he'd call later in the evening to give me a quiz on them. :-) My emotions went from one end of the spectrum to the other upon finding out that I had a "good" leukemia and wasn't going to die any time soon, at least not from leukemia. I felt almost giddy with relief.
Next, I had a bone marrow biopsy. I've heard how painful they are, so I was not looking forward to it. I was relieved when the pain level was similar to having a cavity filled. The numbing shot was worse than the actual procedure. It felt like they were using a big, manual drill, and I wished I could see what they doing. While they worked, Dr. Wehbie and Brenda talked about the bone marrow and blood tests that needed to be done. I'd never heard of most of the tests they mentioned. I left with three prescriptions: a chemo drug, anti-nausea/vomiting medicine, and a drug to reduce the uric acid in my body.
By the time I left the Cancer Center, I thought Rebekah might be finished with dinner, so I drove over to check on her. I parked and called Roger and my sisters before I went in the restaurant. I found Rebekah still eating her dinner, so I bought some water and sat down to wait for her. She noticed that I'd had more blood drawn - from both arms this time - and said she thought I went to a meeting and asked why I went back to the doctor. I told her some of my bloodwork on Wednesday was wacky, so they wanted to do some additional tests. When Roger picked Rachel up from work, she asked where I was, and he told her I was at the doctor. Both girls were beginning to suspect that something bad was going on.
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