First things first

First, I had promised everyone that this blog would be the best way to get up to date information so let me start out there. I met with my surgeon, Dr Oh yesterday. Surgery has been moved to Monday morning (31st). Surgery will take approximately 10 hours (5 to remove and 5 to repair/replace). I will be sedated for quite some time. The earliest that they will wake me is Tuesday afternoon. Those of you that were considering visiting please wait until later in the week. If you are squeamish, I advise waiting for a couple of weeks and visiting me at home.Now with that out of the way here we go!

There is an old joke about the reason patients were called patients. I don't really recall the entire joke but the point was that you had to be patient while waiting for a doctor to get anything done.Or more importantly just waiting for your doctor. Who among us hasn't had the irritation of making a 9:30 doctors appointment only to sit in the waiting room for 45 minutes to an hour. Finally have the nurse moves you to the examination room. On the way down the hall you notice 3 or 4 other patients waiting. You briefly make eye contact with them and they roll there eyes and shake there head as a warning that you have entered the real waiting room. Judging by the other patients you'll be waiting for some time. Another 45 minutes pass by. The nurse pops by the apologise and let you know that the doctor just has a few people before you. Most likely the same people you passed on the way in. Is the doctor even here? You become irritable, and finally call work to let them know you have been kidnapped by the medical profession and would be held against your will until further notice. These aren't typical calling out of work calls. Typically these calls are usually met with sympathy. That is because like most of the world  your boss has been there to and completely understands.

Finally there is a quite rap on the partially opened door and the doctor appears. He asks why you are there (even though he could have read the note from the nurse), listens to your lungs and runs from the room with instructions to pick up a prescription from the nurse. Time spent with the doctor: 5 minutes if your lucky. Couldn't we have just done that over the phone?

By now you're probably feeling your patients being tested. You're wondering when is Ran going to get to the point. Sorry, there is really no point just the following observation. . If your 5 minute encounter reveals something that "looks troublesome" you will experience time speed up! Suddenly you aren't really waiting around doctors offices anymore. You are ushered right in past of other jealous looking patients who in no way would trade places with you if they understood the reason for the VIP treatment. The doctor keeps his appointment times and spends as much time with you as you need to get all of your questions answered. You suddenly fine yourself longing the days sitting in the waiting room reading a three year old mangled copy of Better Homes and Gardens.

I know that time is of the essence when dealing with cancer, but it would be nice to just have a moment to take a breath and stop and think. I have been a course of antibiotics longer than it took me to be diagnosed and scheduled for surgery! I would just like to have a minute here. I don't have time to use the patience that I have developed over the years. Now I'm just a Patient.