Me and the VA

On Monday, 16 April 2012, focus changed. In late March I felt an odd lump in my neck. It was about the size of a peach pit. I pointed it out to my Doctor. I am self-employed and do not make a lot of money, therefore, like much of the rest of the country I don’t have medical insurance. I am however a Veteran [1968-72] and as such fall under the remarkable care of the Veteran’s Administration and there remarkable medical facilities. I see my doctor at the Santa Rosa VA Clinic out by the Charles M. Schulz Airport. It’s a brand new facility. They perform a lot of out-patient procedures there and the scope increases as they settle in. On regular visits I am afforded blood tests, a basic metabolic panel, cholesterol screening, glucose etc. It is quite extensive requiring about 4 vials. Weight and blood pressure are also recorded. It’s just like the “high-priced spread.” On the last visit I was even afforded an EKG and a chest X-ray, both done at the clinic in SR. Back to the lump; my doctor suggested it could be serious and we had better check it out. He checked other lymph node locations, could not find anything else and sent me on my way. I came back two days later on a short fast and had 12 vials of blood taken. This would be thorough. I was also asked to “pee in a cup.” Two days later I received the results in the mail. The chest X-ray, EKG, blood work and urinalysis all indicated a remarkably healthy 65-year-old male. For safety sake I would be required to have an ultrasound and a needle biopsy. The ultrasound was scheduled for mid-May but the needle biopsy was set for 12 April. I had to travel to the San Francisco facility. There are two types; one is considered surgery where they remove a core with a much larger bore syringe. The out-patient procedure employs a standard syringe but requires several penetrations to extract enough material to biopsy. After 4 stabs I was on my way. On the following Monday while driving into Healdsburg for “coffee and” at the Downtown Bakery I got the call from my doctor. I have a B-cell Lymphoma and we need more tests and appointments. On 17 April I get a call that there is an opening on Thursday the 19th at 8AM. My friend, Peter insists he will drive me down and back. This is not necessary; it’s not a debilitating test. I could drive myself. Peter would hear no such thing, he was driving me and that was that. Peter is a cancer survivor and he knew exactly what I needed. At 6AM we headed down the highway and he told me of his experiences from diagnosis to remission/cure [I am not sure I understand that paradigm yet]. He told me of his fears, his decisions and his recovery. We got to the hospital early and I needed an IV placed [just the apparatus] before reporting to Nuclear Medicine. As soon as I was at NM the receptionist called someone to say I was ready. It was still well before 8AM. The technician hooked me up to a machine which would inject a radioactive substance into my bloodstream. He told me it would turn me into an X-ray as such. The Scanner would read my body by the escaping gamma rays. I think that’s how he put it. I was told to lie down for about an hour so that the space juice could circulate. I was lying in a window overlooking the twisted trees of Lands End. Soon I was led to a large room that looked like a Star Trek episode. I lay on a narrow bed, had my ankles clipped together and raised my arms back over my head. I had to maintain that position for 25 minutes. NOW I UNDERSTAND STRESS POSITION TORTURE. We were through before 9:30AM and Peter insisted on treating me to breakfast at one of his favorite haunts in Sausalito. Fred’s [Since 1966] serves up major breakfasts. Check it out. I now wait to hear the results of the PET and CAT scans.