Lazies Holiday
I didn't make it to the shala today. Part of it was laziness. A big part of it, in fact. But part of it was something else - some sort of intuition that my services were needed elsewhere....
My former nanny, now sometime babysitter and housekeeper (Julie, you met her....) has a lump under her arm and came into my apartment this morning pretty overwrought. She wouldn't say that something was bothering her at first, but it was obvious to me, and I drew it out of her. Long, unpleasant story short, I spent the entire day, from 8:45 a.m. until just a few minutes ago at the Emergency Room of Metropolitan Hospital, which is part of the NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation. In other words, it's a hospital that is essentially a free clinic. It wasn't pretty. It wasn't comfortable. It was downright scary and unpleasant. But if I didn't force Sarah to go, she wouldn't have gone, and if I hadn't gone with her, I wouldn't have been confident that she would have left my apartment and headed up there herself.
Unfortunately, the way things work at these free clinics is sloooooooooooowly, and Sarah has to go back tomorrow to attend the Breast Clinic and hopefully have the lump biopsied. But I completely anticipate that there will be no biopsy...instead, a mammo and ultrasound followed by a new appointment for a biopsy. Sigh. That's just the way it is.
Tomorrow I am teaching at noon, and her appointment is at 1, which means that I won't be able to accompany her to the clinic. But I feel like I must meet her up there in order to make sure that things happen as they need to. There is SUCH a need for patients to have an advocate, whether a family member or a friend. I can't even tell you how many questions I had to answer for her in order to make sure that the doctor interviewing her got correct information. It's HARD to be a patient - you're scared, you've got thoughts swirling through your mind. You may have things you want to hide, even from yourself. There may be a tendency to accept less than diligent care, just for the purpose of avoiding unpleasantness.
But now I am wiped out. Completely wiped out.
I am putting on my Sharath and hoping he can inspire me...
YC
2 comments:
FYI, the entire reason for the hospital up in Dobbs Ferry is precisely so this doesn't happen. They offer on-site same day services for women with lumps... This would be our PS' oncologist/breast surgeon counterpart's practice of course. If necessary, contact Dr. S and ask for Dr. A's contact information.
"Our" doctor! :)
But here's the thing our doctor probably doesn't take patients who don't have insurance...or even medicaid....sadly, Sarah let her medicaid lapse...This is why she is in the clinic system. It sucks. When all of the shit went down for me four years ago, it was like boom,boom,boom, from first ultrasound to diagnosis to surgery to chemo...I am very lucky to have a good insurance policy...
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