Oncologist Appointment

Just got back from my 6 month appointment with the oncologist. Everything looks good.

This was kind of a strange appointment. Not the visit itself, but the build up to it. The appointment wasn't even on my calendar, so I only realized I had one a few days ago, when I got an email reminder. 

Then comes the really strange part -- last week, my wife and one of my kids got Covid. (Their symptoms have been mild to moderate, with no major health issues.)

I did not get it.

I tested three times, and was negative all three times, despite being very physically close to them, all of us living in the same house. It wasn't a surprise, really, that our family was hit by it. Numbers of Covid cases have been rising quickly where we live, though the numbers of hospitalizations have not risen so high. The Omicron variation seems much more easily spreadable, though less dangerous, especially to those who are double vaxxed and boosted, like my family. Or so say the experts, and they seem to be right.

Something similar happened in January, when another of my kids got Covid, and the rest of us tested negative. 

Both times, the rest of us tried to stay isolated, and wear masks when we had to be close to each other. That probably explains why I have still never tested positive for Covid. 

(Or there could be another explanation, like I'm super-human. But I'm not going to tempt fate and say something like that.)

Before the appointment with the oncologist, I tested negative with a home test, and called the doctor's office to explain the situation and make sure it was OK to come in. If there was even a little bit of concern from the doctor, I would cancel the appointment. The last thing I want to do is make someone else sick, especially another cancer patient. I spoke with an administrative assistant, and then with an oncology nurse, and then the office manager, and we decided that, since I didn't have any symptoms and I tested negative, it was OK for me to go to the appointment. Of course, I wore a mask, like everyone else in the hospital.

As usual, I had blood work done, and everything looks normal there. I had a physical exam, and the doctor didn't find any issues. And we talked, and I didn't bring up anything that concerned me. It was a nice, routine, undramatic visit -- just the kind that we like.

I usually ask the doctor about what excites him about lymphoma research lately, but I didn't get to that question this time. We mostly talked about Covid. He thanked me for calling beforehand and making sure it was safe for me to come in. We talked about what I should do if I do test positive -- call and talk about getting an anti-viral drug. We talked about if and when I should get another booster (probably in August, when there might be an updated formula for the booster, or more information about what a booster might need, and when I'm likely to be around lots of people again).

And we talked about how likely it is that Covid isn't going anywhere, and what that means. I don't like to think newer variations coming around being worse than what we've seen in the past. But I also am kind of used to trying to think three steps ahead of a disease, and having a plan in case I have a health issue and I need to respond quickly. That, to me, is the real value of staying educated. There's a balance between being prepared and not letting the fear of something dominate your life. But I've been doing that for 14 years. I'm kind of good at it at this point.

One final thought about the appointment. Everyone at the hospital seemed really kind and friendly today. I had to check in at the hospital entrance -- only patients and one caregiver are allowed in. The man who checked me in gave me my "screened" sticker, and then said, "I hope everything goes OK for you today." And he genuinely meant it -- looking me right in the eye when he said it.

When I got a blood draw, the phlebotomist couldn't have been better -- I barely felt the needle. I even said "Wow" out loud, I was so impressed. She jumped back. "I'm so sorry -- did I hurt you?" I laughed. "No, the complete opposite," I said. "I barely felt a thing. You were great." Just genuinely concerned.

The receptionist, the nurse, the scheduler -- everybody was great. There have been times when I have gone to that hospital and it all just seemed so cold. It was nice to have everyone seem to caring today.

I don't know what changed. Maybe tragedy has a way of changing how people do things, and those individual changes turn into a change for the whole institution. It was a nice reminder to step back every now and then and think about how small actions can make someone else's day just a little bit better.

I hope you all get good health news, too. Stay well.