Finally. We start chemo on Monday. It has been such a painful and difficult wait, and the frustration has been taking its toll. But the good news is that we have an appointment with the Napa oncologist on Friday for a review of the latest test results and a “chemo orientation class.”
A lot of time and energy can be wasted looking back, but it’s hard not to think about where we might have been more aggressive with these health care providers…where we might not have pushed harder to get appointments. Mom’s symptoms have been bothering her for at least three months and yet we waited for the scheduled appointment rather than insist we meet with him earlier.
The level of coordination and the need for stamina to ride herd on the health care providers is a requirement in this endeavor. And when you’re feeling crappy, or you don’t have the wherewithal to push against people who may be smarter than you, or you don’t have a healthy and aggressive advocate…I can’t imagine those poor souls out there wallowing as they wait in confusion in this insane “system.”
I am glad mom has been seen by some of the nation’s best doctors at UCSF, and has received what I believe to be excellent care. I can also see the ease with which a patient can simply get lost in the sea of sick and sicker patients. And the delays of a week here and a week there have amounted to over a month of waiting for chemotherapy to start. So while I’m glad that she was seen at UCSF, I am also glad that her day-to-day care is being transferred back to quiet Napa where the parking is nearby and free, and the shuffle is slower.