FIRST, let me answer the question that brought you to read this: Suzanne’s scans, examinations, and bloodwork were all great yesterday.

NOW, the rest of the story. Wednesday was the second of seven follow-up appointments for the PATHway clinical trial that Suzanne participated in. Every three months for the first year and every four months the second year after completing the trial, Suzanne has to go to RUSH for neck and chest scans, bloodwork, and meet with her oncologist Dr. J. This is a more aggressive follow-up than would have been prescribed had she not participated in the trial, yet another reason why she participated.

You may wonder why the chest scans. The answer is simple, one of the most common places for her cancer to re-appear is in the lungs. Ever since she started working with her clinical team at RUSH, a chest CT has always been scheduled any time she had a throat CT.

Her surgeon, Dr. A, was first on the docket and he was excited to see Suzanne as it’s been six months or so since their last visit. He spent more time talking to her about what she has been doing and eating than examining her. He did do a scope through her nose and then her throat to take a close view of his work and felt that things looked great. Suzanne gave Dr. A a black & gold ruler work wall hanging, thanking him and God for saving her life. He commented that he just might find a place in his new house to hang it and then asked Suzanne if he could give her a hug, WOW!

The blood draw was up in the cancer center and it was routine. It was then off to the hospital where a CT scan was to be conducted, a new location as Suzanne had some reactions to the contrast dye. These were her first scans with contrast in six months due to miscommunication & equipment failure on the previous tries.

When Suzanne headed off to the CT room thinking this will be quick as usual, she was disappointed to find that the kidney function blood results were needed prior to completing the scan. The CT Dept could have done that test with results in a couple of minutes, but since the test had already been taken, they would wait for those results; and wait, and wait, and wait. The scans were finally taken just minutes before the prep meds she had already taken were to expire.

Since it would take about two hours for the scans to be read and posted for her Dr to see, lunch was next on the docket. On our walk over to the hospital, we noticed that the hospital replaced their old and uneventful lunch area with a Panera Bread, a welcome change from the steady diet of Subway I’ve eaten for the past two years.

Back to the cancer center to have her port de-accessed and soon after her clinical trial coordinator met us in the waiting room just to chat. Once we were in the exam room, it seemed like a lifetime waiting for Dr. J to enter the room. Sitting there waiting, my mind began to wonder why he’s taking so long; are the tests not back yet, is he stalling trying to figure out how to deliver bad news, is he just running behind?

Turns out, he was just running behind and we learned that everything appears to be great. A discussion was held about the need for contrast on the scans and it was decided that all that effort wasn’t that necessary every time; a relief to Suzanne as the pre-meds occur in the middle of the night and their effects are almost worse than the dye reaction. Dr. J is going to refer Suzanne to a dermatologist for the lesions that continue to appear mostly on her arms from the immunotherapy trial.

I find it interesting that whenever you’re sitting idle, waiting for major news, your mind tends to drift toward the negative. As it turns out, research has shown we are just wired that way and it affects our relationships, decision-making, and even how we perceive people. I’m sure there are many ways provided online on how to overcome this bias, me, I tend to just look up and ask for help with what it is that’s troubling me to be resolved.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

James 1:5