I awoke this morning with a feeling of relief as some progress has been made in the battle. The pathology slides were in the hands of those at Sloan who would ultimately make the decision as to what course of action will be taken. I feel calmer knowing that a firm decision will be made within a few days and some type of action will take place in two weeks or so be it surgery, chemo or whatever the specialists decide. I feel, ironically, free - free because even though it is my battle, I can stop worrying about the battle plan for a little while and just relax. Ha.
The phone rang. So much for relaxation....it was the nurse from Sloan saying the slides they received yesterday were from my stomach not from my pancreas. NSUH had sent the WRONG slides - and incidentally, just mentioned in passing, my stomach seems inflamed. I did not even ask a question about that as I was so astounded that this mix up had occurred....after all, we are dealing with someone's life here. These are keys to a diagnosis which could spell life or death - not paint chips.
So, of course, my first reaction is total outrage and I call NSUH pathology department and I GET A RECORDING with a menu - nothing which will guide me to a human to correct this major problem. (At least major to me.) I hang up and fume for a few minutes (feeling that inflamed stomach starting to heat up) and decide to call my Onco Man who is my hero as are the gals in his office who are such incredible human beings. The gal I needed most was not in yet but would call as soon as she arrived. I did explain what I needed to speak to her about.
Then my brain kicked in and I called the general hospital number for NSUH and asked to speak to a HUMAN in the pathology department....actually, I did have a first name but wanted any human at this point. BINGO. Got through on the first try to the gal who had been so helpful for the past two days - except she sent the wrong slides. Last night I faxed her to send lung slides as well so a comparison could be made so there was a little confusion as to what I was talking about. Finally, in my calmest voice, I said - Stop talking and listen to what I am saying. The slides you sent to Sloan which they received yesterday were incorrect. They were slides from my stomach and I am being diagnosed for pancreatic cancer. The biopsy was on my pancreas - my permission note clearly stated PANCREATIC slides. You are a very kind person but you made a mistake and I need you to fix it - NOW, TODAY. She finally got it and said I needed - pay attention to this - to speak to someone in another part of the pathology department who had the pancreas stuff. She was working on my lung stuff and after I explained my pancreas request to this other person, they would send the slides together as quickly as possible. Before I could say pancreatic cancer, I was switched to the cytology area of the pathology department. I spoke to another very nice woman who understood my problem after only 2 repeats of the explanation (and English was not a second language for either of us.) I think it was when I burst into tears and said I could be dead of this disease before anyone at NSUH got the correct slides to Sloan that she grasped the true nature of the problem. (A little dramatic, perhaps, but it worked and it was a truthful assessment on my part at the moment. Although I was so upset, I could have had a heart attack and saved a whole lot of stress.) She assured me she would do her part this morning and bring the pancreatic slides over to the other side of the room where my lung slides would be waiting to be reunited with their old friends and they would be mailed together - hopefully today. I cried a little harder and begged her to make sure they would be mailed today. She said she would do her part but Lung Woman had to do her part as well. Considering Lung Woman already screwed up, I can only hope she would give it her all. Pancreas Woman gave me her direct phone number and said she or Lung Woman would call when they were ready and in the overnight mail. I'm sure one of them will call for my credit card number - at $25 a pop for mailing, this is a booming business. All of this happened between 9 and 10:30 and it is now 1:15 and I still haven't heard that the limo had been called for transporting my slides.
What I learned in all of this was that even though I was burning with fury over the mistake, it was important to remain calm and understand that mistakes can happen. I stayed as calm and sweet as possible because the older I get, the more I realize that people - even those who have made your life a nightmare - are better help to you if you make them your friend. There are enough people willing to yell and scream and I really don't want to be one of them.
Now, the reason I had such a big reaction to this mix up is that there is a totally diverse opinion between Onco Man and the Pancreas Pooh Bah - one still thinks it is lung cancer in the state of metastasis and the other is totally convinced there is nothing new in the lung and that the pancreas mass is a pancreatic cancer not related to the lung and that it is in a very early stage, miraculous in being found so soon and easily removed along with the spleen and surrounding lymph nodes. These two will talk among themselves. I have a great deal of respect for both of them so I will wait and see what happens next. However, the pathology slides are the key!
I am too keyed up (no pun intended) to continue for today.
Believe! Pray!
As always, love from me to you!
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