BAD NEWS

Bad news is coming

I'm eagerly (but completely unnervingly) awaiting my upcoming radiation treatments next week (see my previous post).

As a hardcore pessimist, I seldom believe in happy endings......and I'm skeptical of random optimism.

FLASH!!!!

EXACTLY AS I'M WRITING THIS BLOG POST, I just received very bad news from my social worker The notorious Dragon Lady. I KNEW that my radiation treatments (supposedly) scheduled for next week sounded too good to be true.

Every time The Dragon Lady walks into my room she is the bearer of bad news. This is an absolute.

My first radiation treatment for the cancerous bleeding "wound" on my arm was supposedly scheduled for Tuesday the 16th. Now I've been informed that on my upcoming Tuesday appointment, they are only going to photograph and measure my "wound." The radiation treatments are delayed and won't begin for TWO MORE WEEKS!!!!!!

I truly almost perished from the shock.

There is no way possible that I can wait for two more weeks. I want to go home, and it would be very dangerous with a frequently hemorrhaging arm.

I completely wasted the past five months, while waiting for my arm to be treated since the beginning of APRIL - - and they kept stalling, and now they're pulling this bullcrap on me.

I swear, the people who I'm dealing with are all completely incompetent.....or certifiably crazy.

ANOTHER FLASH!!!

As if this bad news isn't enough, another BOMB has been dropped on me. I've just been informed that they're going to move me to another room!!! This has been done  FOUR previous times.

I'm so furious that words are starting to fail me (which isn't easy).

Okay, I just took a deep breath to calm myself down. It didn't work.

I'll go to my appt. next Tuesday. And no matter what transpires, I'll still request a discharge from this prison.

What more can I say?????

Oh, yes.....

early this evening the Amish choir came to sing hymns. Their voices are remarkably beautiful

"Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling...."

One of my absolute favorite hymns

Did it calm me? To be continued.

Jon 😇  occasionally angelic

Have you ever heard Cynthia Clawson sing this hymn acapella? Absolutely astounding!

WHAT I KNOW NOW

What do I know now scholastically? Nope, I'm not talking about brain cells (of which mine are diminishing). I'm talking about medical updates and my upcoming future.

I'll reveal what I know.

On Tuesday (the 9th) I had another dr. appt. at Cookeville Medical Center. There were so many appointments scheduled that the transport vehicles were booked. They had to take me in an ambulance. Humiliating, but better than nothing. 

Cool lovely day with more dramatic clouds than sunshine. Sweet September!

 I wasn't optimistic about my appt. The previous one was a complete disaster - - with that new rude condescending doctor.

To my shock, my regular oncologist showed up to see me! The nurses remembered me from 2023 and every one was nice.

The biggest plus was that my doctor was truly concerned about my arm. He scheduled me to have ten radiation treatments, once every day. Said most likely it will stop the bleeding (BTW, he's also head of the radiation dept.).

Finally! After five long months......some actual good news concerning my arm!!!

On the way out, we passed the ol' familiar radiation room, where I had seven weeks of radiation therapy in the summer of 2023.

I'll try to speed this up, and skip my recent clashes with the Dragon Lady (head social worker) here at Signature Health Care (and her sinister assistant).

Problems arise. I'll attempt to explain the situation - - and what I will choose.

Things are complicated.

As you probably already know, my insurance coverage for physical therapy expired the end of March. In order to stay here in Signature to get medical treatment (my back, edema, heart, etc) I had to sign up with Hospice, which pays for it.

Hospice - which doesn't endorse surgery or radiation - will drop me if I choose to get radiation therapy. Subsequently, Signature will drop me as soon as Hospice does.

Instead of taking ten days for radiation treatment, my oncologist decided to increase the dosage and only five days will be needed.

And - - Signature Health Care will let me stay here during the five day treatments.

Instead of returning here with Hospice after radiation (it's an evil possibility) I am choosing to go home. It will be very difficult with many obstacles and challenges, but I will take the risk. 

If I return here at Signature Health Care, with Hospice, I'll be forfeiting all of my freedom and facing the dire possibility that I'll never see my home again.

The radiation treatments will begin on Tuesday, the 16th.

If I return home after the radiation treatments, it will be somewhere around September 23 - - a perfect time of year. I will be able to see autumn near the forest on my property!

That's my latest update. I can't predict what will happen, but it seems to be a golden opportunity.

Jon 🧡 cautiously optimistic