Brother Dave – Dave’s current diagnosis is “probably cancer,” but he isn’t scheduled for any further tests or treatment for three weeks. I cannot even imagine hearing “You might have cancer. Sit tight for 21 days and we’ll get back with you.” On investigation, I see a three-week wait is the standard, but still, that must be hard.
Father Jerry – I find myself thinking about The Paternovel as I watch television. I make little notes like “a character needs to wake up in an unrecognized place” because that’s always fun, and it looked compelling on television. I don’t think this is how real writers do things. So, in order to get a little better at my new hobby of novel-writing/parent-editing, I’ve signed up for a six-week community college novel-writing class to begin later this month.
Half Step-Sister – Ancestry has finally come up with a non-white family connection. It’s not a blood / DNA match, but evidently when Jerry’s second wife went to find her destiny in Africa, she left behind a daughter in Gambia. Or, I suppose, perhaps she picked up a daughter in Gambia. I don’t know, I backed away from that information because I didn’t have hours to spend. That will require further investigation, though.
6 responses to “Family Update”
Yeah. I personally learned to read MRIs because I was told I might have a tumor on my pituitary gland but the neuroendocrinologist appointment was a month after getting the MRI and I was *NOT* waiting a full month.
Turns out no, I did not have a tumor on the pituitary gland.
Also turns out that the radiologist’s notes to that effect were *in a separate inner pocket* of the giant accordion folder thingy that the MRI prints came in, so those 5 hours of online brain-MRI training were unnecessary. But it did teach me a few things about myself, anyway! Including the degree to which I do not possess patience if I perhaps *can* avoid waiting, and also that while I can learn to read an MRI well enough to know where the pituitary gland is and that there is not a readily identifiable tumor on it, I don’t have the foggiest as to whether the pituitary gland I’m looking at is a *normal* pituitary gland or not – that’s where the years of training come in, presumably.
But “oh, you might have cancer, just wait 21 days” thing is kind of completely insane, I think?
(and re: novel writing: whatever works for you, works for you. But a class probably won’t hurt. 🙂 But also do feel free to just do things the way that makes sense to you!)
KC – Well, he’s found a way to get more info – he’s using an Er associated with the hospital and they gave him an extra battery of tests, and then called his docs to urge them to talk to him. All the new info is bad.
Ooof. Sorry all the new info is bad.
So sorry to hear the news about your brother – hope you are doing okay.
Lynn and KC – thanks for your thoughts. They cancelled the second of two tests to determine the stage of cancer because the first told them all they needed to know. Since he still won’t hear what stage he’s in until the end of the month, we are both extrapolating what that might meant, as you do.