Playing Percentages

99% of Kev's medical team has been fantastic so far. Incredible. Talented. Compassionate. So we were overdue for an encounter with a jerk. Ther percentages caught up with us today.

Met with the gastroenterologist over here. The downside of small town life; there is one gastroenterology office here which is a satellite of their city office. We were cautioned about his personality by several nurses last year when Kevin was in the hospital.

Things were not exaggerated. He doesn't like questions, he likes people to just accept what he says and move on with it. He has one of those no medical degree, no business asking medical questions responses to patients/patient family. In his eyes I am the patient advocate from hell--the one who asks questions and insists on answers, not generalizations and brush offs.

Kevin was so mad he couldn't talk. I was so mad I couldn't shut up.

The plan now is for Kevin to have a sigmoidoscopy next Thursday where they will open the area using a balloon (he had to have this done last August too during a colonoscopy) procedure. Then they will inject the surgical site internally with steroids to see if that will impact the scar growth.

I've spoken to the surgical nurse of his doctor in Indiana who had another surgeon (Kevin's is out of the country) review Kev's chart and give the ok to doing this. He says it won't do any harm and will at least buy us some time until Kev's regular guy returns from overseas. I am certain Dr. Francis will not be harping about repeat surgery yet. (repeat surgery almost guarantees a permanent colostomy) and Kevin could have the same scaring issue with another surgery.

He's to continue with a cautious diet until next week. (What is it with this place and that whole wait-until-he's-seriously-sick-before-we-act approach??)

And the doctor answered his cell phone (his kid wanted picked up from some place) while he was examining Kevin. We've spent a lot of time with doctors in this last year and that was a first. I'm pretty certain he wouldn't have taken it well if Kevin had taken a call in the middle of the appointment.

Kevin is discouraged and worried. I am embracing being mad about the whole appointment, it smothers the worry! But at least Kevin is not feeling as awful as he did last Thursday. We've made it a week since he first showed symptoms and that's a good thing.

He has an appointment tomorrow with his oncologist for a 3 month check up. Which means he'll have a PET or CT in a week or so. We're hoping for a clear CT and a lowered CEA level in his blood work. CEA is the tumor marker they watch in his type of cancer. Above 3 is a worry.

We'll let you know how he's getting along. Thanks for the prayers!