Earlier this week I called my oncology office to schedule my next appointment with my oncologist. I thought the next appointment would have been scheduled in April when I was at the oncology office, but they said they would call. When a month passed and I still hadn't received a phone call, I decided to call myself. The first phone call was unsuccessful, and the woman who does the scheduling for my oncologist seemed surprised that I was calling to schedule my appointment. She then asked if she could call me back after she had talked with the nurse practitioner who saw me in April.
The next day I received a call back from the oncology office. They told me that I would not, in fact, be seeing my oncologist, but that I would be seeing the nurse practitioner again in August and that I would need a pelvic ultrasound the week before the appointment. I asked why I would not be seeing my oncologist. The scheduler told me that I would have to discuss that with the nurse practitioner at my next appointment.
I have not seen my oncologist since December. It is now May. Why haven't I seen my cancer doctor since December? I am thoroughly confounded by this. This can't be normal. Granted it is a slow-growing type of cancer, but it is cancer nonetheless. It is still cancer. It is still in my body. I would hope that my oncology team would take it more seriously than an appointment once every four months. However, every time I question anyone there, I do not get a clear answer.
Yesterday, I went on the U of M Health website. This is the place where I go for my dietician and nutritionist. I searched for gynecological oncology, and they have an entire department devoted to it, so I filled out an online request for an appointment. Today, I received a phone call and scheduled an appointment for a second opinion on my treatment at MHealth on May 31. I figure that it can't hurt to get a second opinion and see if treatment somewhere else would be different. Perhaps there could be more consistency or at least there could be some answers to the many questions that I have. Or it could be the same thing I experienced at my oncologist. I think it is worth finding out for my own peace of mind that I took every avenue possible to get the best care possible.
As always, your prayers are appreciated. Thank you, friends. I know this journey can be a rough one, but I am blessed that you are all walking with me through it. God knows what He is doing and I need to trust Him. He holds me firmly in His hands and He is masterfully writing my present and my future. God bless you, dear ones.
