Health and Fitness : Laugh With Kathy - The Surgeon

Thursday, October 11, 2012: On the way to the appointment with the surgeon, Gene asks me if I have decided on what treatment plan I would prefer. Over the past week, he has outlined the available options I will have and answered all my questions. He explains that if I am uncertain or uncomfortable at any point, we can walk out of there without setting a surgery date. I go over my thoughts with him, and he agrees that I have chosen an appropriate plan based on the medical evidence and my comfort zone. We come up with a code phrase I can use if I am uncomfortable or need to think things over. We have tried mind reading in the past, but it has worked with only limited success, so code words are important. My code phrase is "I need to check my calendar."� The surgeon's office is familiar territory. My husband is a surgeon, and I have been walking into surgeons' offices to visit for over twenty years. It gives me confidence to know what to expect. Check in. Fill out paperwork. Have a seat and wait. I hesitate when I have to check the box marked "Cancer"� on the registration form. Ugh. That makes it seem real. My heart beats a little faster and my hands shake. As I sit on the exam table, I glance at Gene sitting on the small bench in the changing area and holding my purse. My lips twitch, and I try not to laugh. I'm not very good at waiting, so I look around the room for something to entertain myself. I see the hand sanitizer, which looks like an upside-down can of whipped cream. I consider squirting it. My husband asks what I'm looking at. I respond, "The flu poster,"� and my lips twitch again. I'm not sure there is a flu poster in the room, but it is a good bet at this time of year, and he seems to fall for it. I glance at the doctor's stool on wheels and consider sitting on it and spinning around the room, but I'm sure Gene will stop me. I sigh. I fidget. The surgeon comes in while I'm still fully dressed. I very much appreciate this. To this point, all the doctors have come in to greet me while I'm fully clothed. I wonder if they know how important this is to the patient. It is hard to meet someone for the first time when you are in a paper gown with only your socks on. I like the surgeon immediately. He talks to me (not my husband) and listens carefully to my responses. I see a hint of sympathy in his eyes when I mention the recent death of my father. He calls me "young."� (I now have a doctor's note that says I'm young!) He covers the pathology report with me. The terms are now familiar as I have grilled my poor husband for information for nearly two weeks. He examines me. Once again I am asked to do the Superman pose and put my hands on my hips as the surgeon stares at my chest. I hate this part of the exam, so I occupy myself with deciding what superpowers I would like to have. Probably flight"�so I could get the heck out of this room! We discuss the available options, and the surgeon asks me what I want to do. I consider responding, "Run out of this office and make it all go away,"� but I know what my options are, and I know what I want. I tell the surgeon that I want to remove the right breast and keep the left breast. He tells me that my plan is exactly what he would recommend, and it reassures me. Gene, my surgeon, and I are all on the same page. We talk some more and set the surgery date for two weeks from now. I get blood drawn and an EKG. I'm handed more paperwork. We walk out, and I start shaking again. I take deep breaths of air and lean against the car. It is all very real suddenly. But now I have a plan in place, and that gives me some degree of peace. *In recognition of October being Breast Cancer Awareness month, Dean and Val have asked me to share some stories from my book Laugh With Kathy, Finding humor in the journey through breast cancer. Each week day during October, I will post an excerpt from my book on Vinton Today. Our hope it that these articles will give you a glimpse into what it takes to beat breast cancer. Proceeds from books sold in October on Amazon and from my website will benefit the Survivors of Benton County. Please note that I was diagnosed with breast cancer four years ago, had two years of treatment and I am now living cancer free.