In the grand scheme of this breast cancer treatment, chemotherapy, if it is chosen, comes first. That means that for couple of weeks I had no doctor appointments. I had been told that the result of the Oncotype test would take about two weeks so my next appointment was scheduled accordingly. I had the luxury of having my life return to somewhat normal again.
After returning from my Dad's party there were a couple of phone calls that gave me the feeling that I might be waiting more than two weeks. First there was the call from the lab to tell me that though they spoke with my insurance company there was a good chance that this test wouldn't be covered. Then there were the calls back to Dr. Harris' office to let them know that it was OK to release the samples. Then there was the 'wait' time while Dr. Harris and his MA (medical assistant) Holly were out of the office.
Still, it was nice to feel stronger and more rested each day. My family, friends and I were certainly anxious about the news but in an odd way it was good to have nothing out of the ordinary to say to them. The day of my next appointment I called Holly to check if the results had arrived. The answer was no. I rescheduled for a week later.
This one week delay was no big deal to me. Whoo hoo! Another week in blissful ignorance with no doctor appointments. I was feeling like myself again and even my friends on campus were telling me that it was good to see me smile. It felt good to smile again.
I caught myself telling people that it actually felt good to feel normal, something I would have NEVER imagined coming out of my mouth! When another week rolled around I called, once again, to confirm that the results were back. Yes. Sort of....
One of the results was back, but apparently the second pathology sample had never been sent. Though this was seemingly an honest mistake - after all, it was an anomoly having two tumors at once - it was a bit frustrating. Holly was on it quickly and she was certain the result would be back the following week. So....I rescheduled, again.
This delay was a bit of a challenge. My phone rang with questions from family and friends. The email messages started coming from friends who were waiting to hear from me. It was easier for me to drop out of sight than it was to repeat the story since the more I had to retell it, the more frustrating and stressful it became for me.
Another week went by. The morning of June 28th I called Holly to confirm. When she called me back she had a great deal of information, but not the piece I wanted to hear. Yes, the test was complete. The report had been written. But the lab is in California and the person who has to sign off on it before they could release it to her won't be in until later, blah, blah, blah. Bottom line? Reschedule for tomorrow.
So I rescheduled for the following day at the Baptist South location --- I would have driven to Miami at this point. Holly called me later that afternoon to tell me she was holding the results...she'd see me at 8:30 in the morning.
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