Turbo Cancer: Day 5
June 16, 2022
They Said That Nothing Was Wrong
On this day, last year, I went to the hospital early in the morning. I was sitting next to the bed when the doctor came in. He said that they had completed all the possible tests, and that they could find nothing wrong. My mom’s blood test had come back normal, and it appeared that she did not have an infection, after all. The doctor said that my mom could go home. Horrified, she exclaimed: “What do you mean, go home? The lump is bigger. It hurts more than it did when I got here! I can’t just go home and take narcotics forever. I need to know what’s wrong with me.” The doctor shuffled his papers and looked through his charts. He consented: “We will monitor you for one more night. I will meet with your medical team to discuss the possibility of further testing.”
Later that day, the young resident stopped in to check on my mom. He told us that he had suggested surgically removing the affected lymph node for biopsy. His proposition was overruled by the oncologist, who said that every possible test had been performed, and that the results were definitive. He said that there would be no need for a biopsy, as cancer had been ruled out.
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Kristi, reliving these memories may do something for you, I know it does something for me, it makes me angry.
-Edwin