(no subject)

[the_rck]

The mammogram went okay. I managed to stop crying before the cab arrived. I'm not in great shape now that I'm home, but I'm not actually falling apart. I was right in thinking that, once I went outside, I'd function because I had to. I'm so very, very tired right now, and I kind of want to cry again (except for how much that would freak Cordelia out).

I exchanged texts with Scott before I left for my appointment. There wasn't anything he could do except cheer me on. I asked his sister if she could come down, but she had a meeting scheduled with her boss for smack in the middle of my appointment, and her boss was out of the office right then. Scott's mother didn't have a car today. I didn't try my mother because, while she's in Michigan, she's 2.5 hours away. If I'd known that I was going to have trouble, the odds are good that any one of the three of them could have figured out how to get here. Scott's sister's sister-in-law is currently out of town. The timing was bad for people with young kids.

At any rate, I exchanged pleasantries with the cabbie. We got to the Cancer Center an hour before my appointment. I ate lunch in the waiting room before they took me back to change. They were done with the mammogram by the time of my actual appointment, but I had to wait another half an hour for the doctor to look at the images. Cell phone use is not permitted in the waiting room (I suspect out of fear of people taking pictures of the women in their possibly not very well secured gowns), so it's very fortunate that I had a book in my bag with my lunch.

The receptionist at oncology gave me a really weird look when I presented myself an hour early for my 3:30 appointment. I pointed out that there really wasn't much reason for me to take more than three minutes coming upstairs. Maybe she thought I should stroll around the lovely, lovely hospital? Navigating the connections between buildings indoors is challenging enough not to be worth the effort. Also, I was pretty wrung out and pretty much just wanted to sit down.

I will see the oncologist again in March and have another mammogram next June. That one will still be considered diagnostic as opposed to screening. The oncologist had the test results from yesterday. Not all of them have been released to me, but she showed me that my B12 and iron are apparently within expected parameters. I have gotten the results of the blood tests for celiac. Those are both thoroughly negative. I didn't think it was even remotely likely that I had celiac, but evalerie has been saying for years that I likely have it.

Comments

[retsuko]

Aw, honey. I'm glad you got through it, but I wish I could give you a quiet space to cry if you need to. *hugs*

[the_rck]

::hugs back:: Thanks so much.

I've got some time tomorrow to try to relax and pull my head together. That should help.

[lunabee34]

I'm glad you don't have celiac.

[the_rck]

Me, too. I really didn't think that I did, but I have friend who does who kind of thinks that everyone she encounters has it. She diagnosed someone we both went to college with it based on the fact that he loves to bake. In my case, I have a ton of health problems, and a number of them are things that can come from celiac, but I've tracked what I've been eating off and on, and nothing correlated in that direction. I didn't think it fit.

I'm just a little worried that she's going to insist that the blood test is wrong (It has a 2% false negative rate). But both tests came out as < 1 U/mL which is a very strong negative. I'm not willing to do another endoscopy just to deal with that 2% error rate.

[lunabee34]

*Nods*

There are some gluten free warriors out there, and that frustrates me. Not everybody needs to go gluten free, and going gluten free is not a magical cure all for all ills. Trust me; all going gluten free is doing for me is making me sad and costing me money. (although I am doing it because I really do have celiac and I want to live forever)

The blood test was negative. You don't have it. And if you do, it's not hurting you any because the levels aren't detectable. I hope your friend doesn't pester you about it.

[maramcreates]

I'm so sorry that you had to go through this, the_rck....
Many <333s and gentle hugs if you want them.

[the_rck]

Thanks.

I don't have anything I have to do until after 3:15 tomorrow, so I'm going to find ways to de-stress. I'm not sure yet what will be involved, but there will be something.

[zhelana]

*hugs*

[the_rck]

Thanks.

[brunettepet.livejournal.com]

I'm glad the mammogram went okay but I'm sorry you had such a stressful day and are now wiped out and weepy.

It's great your B12 and iron are fine and you're not living with celiac. I have a couple friends who suffer from it and it's difficult to manage.

[the_rck]

I think I was half hoping that the iron and/or B12 test would turn something up that would be easy to treat.

The celiac thing is a relief. I was pretty sure I didn't have it, but it's nice to be sure.

[evalerie.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

[ramenkuri.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you got through it! Get some rest.

Annoying about the oncology receptionist, but glad you told her what was up.

[the_rck]

I'd expect sequential appointments to be common given that this is a place people drive hours to get to, so I'm puzzled by the reaction.