a reply to:
ChaoticOrder
You focused on a vital point. I drove myself to the ER against the school doctor's wishes. And then I had to beg for someone to treat me. And I was
very calm.... I couldn't be other than calm at the time because the Vena Cava syndrome had become so bad that I could no longer turn my head, and I
had no energy to be other than calm. I shouldn't even have driven to the hospital, as I could no longer turn my head. That made driving a challenge
in a way that I had never experienced before.
Looking back on it, some of the story is almost funny. The hospital did not take me seriously, and so did not give me a doctor, or even a PA, but
sent a PA student into my ER room to open the x-ray, and tell me that I was crazy. The poor little blonde girl, she had no idea what she was in for.
I remember the exact moment so vividly: she opened the big envelope with the x-ray in it (this was years ago, still x-rays in big envelopes).....
she looked at it..... she looked at me..... she shook her head and looked back at it..... she looked back at me..... then she burst into tears and
ran out the door. Hehehehehehe..... I am not kidding. I was left sitting there thinking: "WTF???!!! That isn't a good sign!!". Several minutes
later, the poor little crying student PA returned with a grizzled old, bald ER doctor. As the girl bit her lip and tried not to cry, the old doctor
drawled in a thick southern accent: "Son, you and I gotta have a talk. You got a big ol' tumor in yo' ches', and I can't say or promise you nothin'.
But if it is what I think it is, I think we can treat it. But you are in a very dangerous condition, and you CANNOT leave this hospital.". I was
floored and said: "I need to call my parents. I need to call my girlfriend." The doctor replied: "Son, we already done that. They on their way.
Don't you worry about that.". My closest family was 700 miles away. (The doctor hoped that my family could arrive before my emergency surgery, as
the surgery had to be rushed, but was complicated for many reasons, and not without significant risk.)
Along another point you touched on...... I have a lot of sympathy for the poor little blonde PA student, looking back on it. After I recovered, I
worked for years as a municipal police officer, and death became an unfortunately normal companion for me. Death, people dying in my arms in crisis
situations, making death notifications, barging into family gatherings to give CPR, etc. Looking back on it, I can see what a moment of education
that was for the poor girl. And trying to be a loving presence to people in such horrible situations..... about to die, or seeing their loved ones
die in front of them..... I always tried to remember that poor little blonde PA student.
My presentation of lymphoma was dramatic enough that doctors used my case (without my name attached) as a case study for years. Lucky me, huh? But I
hope that helped them treat someone else.
edit on 21-8-2021 by AndreDoLouro because: damn southern accents....