What if: So, what if you just had some blood work done on Monday at your PCD’s office and then a “STAT” CT scan without contrast done the next Wednesday and on Friday you decide to look up your lab results on your “Portal.” You suddenly realize your CT scan results are also “posted.” These results show a probable cancer mass that has metastasized all over your abdomen and even your lungs. You are completely freaked out and while crying and screaming at your spouse that you have colon cancer since that is what you think it is. You then call your son and you are crying so hard your son asked if you need an ambulance. You tell him no you have colon cancer! Your precious daughter-in-law who is a nurse says we will be right there. They arrive with-in minutes and walk in just as your PCD calls. She spends about an hour on my speaker phone giving us instructions as to all kinds of future medical tests etc. that need to be done. My daughter-in-law wrote everything down. My doctor ended the conversation by telling me if my pain increased I should go to the ER. That was a late Friday call. (Note: why is it that “everything” health related is always on a weekend?). Anyway, sure enough my abdominal pain increased and on Sunday my husband and daughter-in-law took me to the ER. The doctor there ordered a CT scan with contrast. He then read it and discussed it with an oncologist friend of his. He then came in and sat down close to me and told me that I needed to have a family conference and that I had a lot of decisions to make. He didn’t say you have 3 to 6 months to live but he certainly implied it. He discharged me after giving me a lot of pain meds. He agreed. with my PCD’s advice on referring me to our Levine Cancer Center Doctors for follow up. These people responded immediately.
So, I hope you will follow me on my perilous journey from here.
Thanks for reading.
Dixie J. Hines, M. D.
