Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Meetings

Okay. So I just got back from a long meeting with Dr. Larry. Really
good information. He thought it was strange that Dr. Ungawa did some
of the things he did. Among them:

1) Rooming me with the pathology report sitting on the table for me to
read and peruse as my introduction to cancer before he came in (I know this wasn't intentional, but is a huge professional gaffe).

2) Not giving me any information about what to expect next.

3) Not referring me to an oncologist.

4) Not giving me as much as a "So You Have Cancer" pamphlet.

5) Not talking about the urgency of my situation (all that I now know
I learned myself from the internet this weekend).

All that aside, Dr. Larry says Dr, Ungawa is still the guy in the city
he'd want cutting into him. So that's something. It looking like I
won't really have another option than him and -- bedside manner aside
-- apparently he's a great surgeon that is very highly regarded in his
field.

So I will have another couple of docs on the list, soon. Among them a
therapist. This was a great suggestion that I hadn't thought of.
Someone to help you talk through stuff is very helpful, I can see.
Today I'm starting to be reminded of my 2005 post-crash doctor
followup cycle, and hating the feeling of being a "sickie" that spends
more time with doctors than with friends (and is so tired out from it
that I don't have the energy to see friends). Hopefully this will get
into a sort of routine after the surgery and I won't have to feel like
all I do is talk to and see doctors.

Oh, and I did have something to eat. I'm still 1,860 calories under my
daily limit though, so perhaps I'll have something more.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Ungawa. Grrrr.....

Lemony said...

It seems like sometimes the best surgeons have the worst bedside manner. Guess I'd rather have that than the reverse...still, Ungawa sounds like a gem.

Anyway, I'm sorry to hear that you won't be able to have your procedure done in a minimally invasive fashion, but as the vetran of a c-section, I can assure you that the recovery, while not a barrel of laughs, isn't really so bad. Do you have a recliner or something you can sleep in? Lying down flat is a bitch for awhile, and getting up again is no Sunday stroll, either. That said, the recovery time is nothing compared to having your femur shattered, I would think?

RachaelHD said...

Not sure if something like this is available to you, but the Center for Health and Healing at Abbott has a great cancer program. They will set you up with a nutritionist, support groups, mindfulness classes, etc. It sounds from other posts like you are eating intuitively, which is awesome. I really believe the body knows what to do sometimes if only we listen. Sorry about the clutzy doctor stuff, I suppose it's better to have a really skilled doctor than a smooth one, but ideally one would like them to be both.

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