Hospital

When I was young......a lot young........I remember, in primary school, there being an ant farm in a glass case in our classroom. At that age and at this I had and have little interest in bugs of any kind. What I do remember is their industry. They were everywhere......scurrying all over the place. Fetching and carrying ........always seeming to have a purpose, always seeming to be organized, although without a union but obviously having some end in mind. Gathering food, some in construction, some merely and apparently socializing but all doing something.........workers, soldiers,drones.



York Central Hospital reminded me of the ant farm. Different groups in different uniforms, many out of sight......doing "their thing" behind closed doors. Different departments on different floors.
The same guy, in his grey uniform, driving the floor cleaner seemingly in a trance. The same lady, in her hair net, dishing out food in the cafeteria somewhat reminiscent of British Rail......caught having a fag later on her tea break!!

A line up of volunteers, in their green vests, at the main entrance waiting to pounce on anyone who gives the smallest impression of being lost.



Come tomorrow, Tuesday, Hil and I will have been to the hosptal three times in five days. Forty five dollars in parking and several excursions to Timmy's on the main floor.



Tests, tests and more tests......Hilary just takes it in her stride and gives me all the details after the fact.

What strikes you immediately is the friendliness of the staff. They seem to make a specific effort to put you at your ease. I guess it must come with the territory. Some departments must be pretty scary places causing your imagination to go to places you might not want to go it being human nature to think the worst.

Down in the basement, in C-Wing, is the nuclear department! Super friendly people in white coats.........super worried/looking people sitting in uncomfortable chairs seemingly waiting their fate.

Spok would love this place! I peeked in a couple of empty rooms. No wonder the health system is so expensive! No cell phones down here......no laptops. You almost expect the staff to be glowing blue and purple under the indirect lighting. Nuclear warning signs everywhere.

Gallium Scan!! Sounds like something the Enterprise would encounter in outer space, perhaps some sort of transportation device........beam me up Scotty!! Looks that way for sure. An overgrown doughnut that revolves around you once you have been inserted so to speak. Painless of course......taking pictures outlined by the radioactive milkshake injected into your bloodstream three days prior.....just part of the routine. Hilary was strapped in and told to hold still for twenty seven minutes. Her nose itched!



She's on the golf course this afternoon. She can't play tennis but her golf game will improve. Back to the ant farm tomorrow........another fifteen bucks for parking but we shouldn't be there too long this time, just some additional tests.

June 15th 2010

Life is full of surprises. Most are pleasant......something to smile about. Some are not. Most do not rock your life.......some do.

Hilary had her annual check up less than a month ago. Surprise, surprise!! What's this lump in your abdomen? Didn't you notice it? Nope!!

You have a swollen spleen! Hmmmm....what's a spleen? What does it do?

Lotsa questions but it's just a swelling.

MCL is an acronym for Mantle Cell Lymphoma. Doesn't sound very nice and it probably isn't!! It's actually cancer of the B-cell in your bloodstream. There we go the dreaded "C" word!! So much for just a swelling!! A very rare cancer of the blood. Shit....before 1992 they didn't even know what it was!! Whoever "they" were.

So there or rather here we are. The first step of a journey my wife and friend has to take. I can hear her laughing on the phone just now as she tells a close friend of the surprise in her life. Bloody typical! It's hard to knock her down.

She's had some tests already including a bone marrow biopsy which enabled the hospital to arrive at a diagnosis. Shortly she has a battery of tests. A CT scan on Friday plus a Gallium scan over three days.

Once these tests are done a course of chemo will be recommended.

Tennis is finished for her for the forseeable future. Apparently the enlarged spleen is a concern. She can play golf though.

She's losing weight and not eating as the spleen is exerting pressure on her stomach. (I can still hear her laughing)

I can't sleep at night for worrying and she's lying there snoring her head off. Can you beat it??

There is no cure for MCL but it can be thrown into major remission with the proper treatment. Hil's positive attitude will bring her through it for sure. She'll have a terrific support group and our lives will go on, perhaps not as before but they will go on.

We'll keep a blog of the journey. Feel free to comment if you wish.