One of the worst things that can happen to someone who has been through a cancer experience like mine is to hear a message on their answering machine from their doctor's office that they are not expecting...

I came home from running some errands this morning with my two youngest to find a message on my answering machine from someone at my surgeon's office asking me to return their call.  This was a very unexpected call and I immediately returned it when I heard the message and I got the office's answering service.  The lady told me that they were at lunch so I should try calling back after 1:00 (it was about 12:15 at the time).  The only thing that I could think as to why they would be calling was to possibly discuss the results from my latest CT scan.  To this point I had not heard the results of the scan and my husband and I had talked about it just the day before and that we thought it was strange that I hadn't heard anything from Huntsman about it.  I had mentioned that I would try contacting someone in the office if I didn't hear anything in the next day or two so I took the time while I was waiting to talk to my surgeon's office to email my nurse practitioner at Huntsman asking about it.

So fast forward to 1:00 and I try calling the surgeon's office again and again I get the answering service.  The lady tells me that they haven't switched over the phones yet so to wait a few more minutes and then try again.  So I wait a few more minutes and then 15 more minutes and then I call again at 2:00.  Still no response from the office.  I asked the lady with the answering service if I could just leave a message for them to return and she said that they usually don't check with her for any messages - so what is the point of having the answering service?!?!?  At 2:30 she told me that they were in a meeting until around 3:30.  What?!?  This was getting ridiculous!  (And unfortunately my husband was at a genealogy conference downtown and I didn't want to get him all worried and possibly worked up over what would hopefully turn out to be nothing...  The thought did go through my mind though that if my surgeon wanted to see me in her office that afternoon - which would most definitely mean bad news - I would try and get ahold of my husband and possibly pick him up on my way there.)

Around 2:00 my phone rang and I was hoping that it was the surgeon's office (although up to this point they don't even know that I have been trying to call!).  It turned out to be my study coordinator at Huntsman and she apologized for not calling me about my CT scan results.  She said that she thought that the nurse had called me and apparently the nurse thought that the study coordinator had called me...  She said that she had the results back the same evening as my scan and that everything looked good in it!  She said that one of the "scar" areas in my liver had shrunk in size which is good news as well - my liver is still healing from the two areas that were resected.  I asked her if she knew why my surgeon would be calling and she thought that it was probably just a follow-up from my last visit - just a guess though.

So I finally called the surgeon's office again around 4:00 and finally was able to talk to the person who had left me a message at 11:30 that morning...  She said that she had a note to remind herself to call me with my results from my pap smear that had been done at the beginning of the month - of which I had already been called about a couple of days after my appointment.  She thought that she had just left a message on my answering machine with the results, but I remember talking to someone from the office about it.  And everything had been normal with the results...

I was quite exhausted by the end of all of that!  What a nerve wracking afternoon it had been for me!

I got a call from Huntsman this morning to let me know my CA-125 number.  It was 17 this time, so up from my last count of 15 back in January, but it is still well within the normal range.  They said that it will most likely fluctuate up and down a little each time and that that is normal.

So after my infusion was finally finished up at Huntsman I quickly hurried home to pick up a Crystal Light packet and some sweatpants and then headed out the door to hurry to the South Jordan clinic.  I got there and checked in and asked to pick up the gastro contrast for my scan.  The receptionist went to check and see which contrast to give me (gastro or barium) and she came back and said that the tech wanted to do the barium.  I asked if I could have the gastro because I don't like the barium.  So she went and asked again and came back and said that I would have to take the barium.  So she pulled out the barium and started to mark on it and after thinking about it for a minute I said that if I was going to be required to take the barium then I just wanted to cancel my CT scan and I would make an appointment at a later date back up at Huntsman.  I was quite ticked off about the whole thing and on my way out the door I called my parents to let them know that I was coming back home.  When I was making my way out the front doors of the clinic the receptionist chased me down and said that they were going to do the scan with the gastro - that that was going to be alright.  When I went back into the waiting room the radiologist was there apologizing profusely to me that she apparently had been trying to make a joke with the receptionist and the receptionist had taken the answer literally.  So I will hopefully be having the scan here in the next little while.  All I can say is that I wasn't a very happy camper and I'm glad that I complained about it enough to make them change their mind.  And as it turns out the SJ clinic has the drink mixes that they give you to mix with the gastro so you don't have to use your own.  Although I think I prefer the lemonade versions that I have to the cherry flavor that I picked.  :)

I came in to meet with my oncologist today and she is apparently doing rounds at the hospital so they told me I would be seeing the nurse practitioner, but then one of the oncology fellows visited with me instead.  It was a pretty quick visit and everything appears to look good right now.  They asked about scheduling my next CT scan and mammogram.  While waiting in the infusion room the study coordinator came and asked if I could do the scan later today after my infusion...  So now I need to not eat or drink anything for the next 4 hours so I can have the scan done.  I asked about my port access because they usually put a different type of tubing in when I am having a scan so they can administer the IV contrast through it.  The coordinator went and asked about it and they said that my tubing will work fine I just need to tell the radiologist so they can push the IV medication through more slowly.  Thankfully my mom is able to stay later at my house.  I hope the girls are being good for her...  I will be going to the U of U satellite clinic for the scan.  I have had my mammogram there before and that is where I saw my dermatologist, but I have never had a CT scan there before.  I also have never had them use my port there so hopefully everything will go smoothly with this.

Had an appointment at my surgeon's office this morning.  I thought I was supposed to visit with my surgeon but I just met with the nurse practitioner.  Everything is looking and feeling fine so nothing to report there.  I will return in 4 months for another follow up visit.

I seem to be quite distracted today for some reason.  I left for my appointment a little later than I wanted to just because I wasn't paying attention to the time.  Then on my way I accidentally took the wrong exit and had to take the side streets to get to the surgeon's office which took even longer.  I ended up being about 10 minutes late which was annoying to me.  I don't like to be late to things.  After the appointment I was on my way home and almost missed my exit.  Then I wanted to stop at the grocery store on my way home and got to the light where I needed make a left turn and forgot to get in the left turn lane...  Hopefully I will get over whatever is distracting me so I can be more engaged tomorrow!