February 17, 2007
Quarterly Report
Every three months Jean gets checked out by the doctors at Mount Auburn. The purpose of these tests is two-fold:
(1) to assess how she's healing from her previous procedure;
(2) to determine if the cancer has returned.
Jean's undergone these checkups for six-going-on-seven years. Her last procedure was the surgery last March at Beth Israel, in which the doctors removed tumors from her bladder and tried to save her right kidney by transplanting it lower in the pelvis. The transplant failed, she lost the right kidney, and the surgeons accidentally damaged a nerve in her right leg, temporarily cutting off her ability to walk, use, or feel anything in the leg. She spent much of the last year recovering from this surgery. She regained most function in her right leg, which is great, but she's still suffering massive diarrhea and loss of nutrients, which is not so good. I'd say it was a hell of year last year, but in the context of everything she's been through, it's been a hell of a millenium.
There's a enormous amount of scheduling and coordination that occurs during the Quarterly Report.
- CT Scan
- Blood work
- Meeting with her oncologist, Dr. Lange
- Meeting with her urologist, Dr. Kerian
- Meeting with her surgeon, Dr. Nauta
- Meeting with social workers, counselors, and therapists
Each quarterly checkup is combination of some or all of the above.
There's also an enormous amount of anxiety. Why? The appointments are hassles unto themselves. Ask Jean about drinking contrast - go ahead, it's very tasty. Juggling professional work, personal life, and 2-3-4-or-5 doctors' visits in the space of week is stressful. We no longer live in Somerville, so the commute is much longer to Mount Auburn and Beth Israel.
And we're anxious about the Big Bad Thing. The cancer has recurred three times since it was dicovered in 1999. It recurs in 18 months or less. As we approach each quarterly checkup, we wonder and dread: Is this it?
We deal with the anxiety in a variety of ways. Mostly we distract ourselves: with work, television, more work, household chores, home improvement, going to the gym, staying up too late, and taking on too much work. A new home affords lots of opportunities for chores. Doing the laundry, or cleaning the floors, or weather-stripping windows, is like meditation: it takes focus and it soothes the mind.
Jean had the CT scan on Friday. We'll see Dr. Lange next Monday. Until then, there's so much to be done. We'll let you know what we find out when we find out.