Yesterday, I met with my radiation oncologist for the first time. The waiting room was packed, even at 8:45 am. I realized, once again, that I’m not the only person going through this. Lots of people are. In fact, that’s one of the funny things about cancer. At this point, virtually everyone knows someone close to them who has had it and, in many cases, recovered. Which makes it feel something like the common cold, or allergies. But, you know, a cold that could kill you. It’s a gnawing paradox. As is the fact that every medical waiting room I’ve been in lately has a giant flat screen streaming HGTV. What’s up with that? It just incites ire (in me anyway) to think about how much less a complete home renovation costs than the healthcare we’re all sitting there waiting for.
I was called back to meet with Dr. Higgins in relatively short order, and she was lovely. Calm, composed, empathetic, informative, funny. She took her time with me, which is something I’m really beginning to appreciate in doctors, especially when their waiting room looks like the airport gate for a delayed flight. I’m wary of essentializing gender in any way–I believe that most of it is culturally constructed and imposed–but my experience with female doctors has been markedly positive. That said, it also threw me for a loop that she was roughly my age; for so much of life, doctors are always reassuringly older than you (and yes, I’m aware that this is a form of ageism).
Anyway, she walked me through the next steps of my treatment, as well as the possible side effects, which are varied and intimidating (loss of taste and appetite, severe dry mouth, painful sores, etc.). I will have radiation to my “oral cavity” everyday (excluding weekends) for six weeks. It will be particularly difficult towards the end of that time, and recovery after radiation could take up to six additional weeks. Needless to say, any summer beach plans are now on hold. But that’s ok. I’m on a bit of an unexpected detour in life, and the beaches will still be there when I return to the main road (where I won’t leave my kid in the car).
Well, then 