brothernephew

I’m not OP but I’d like to answer re: cancer treatment and diagnosis. Like OP said, nurses are everything. My family lives far away and couldn’t be there for a procedure. My nurse spoke to my mother privately via phone and talked her off the ledge and she had 0 obligation to do that - could have told her to come in, wait for info, etc.

When you’re sick sometimes you just do not give a fuck if the other ppl waiting for surgery see your underwear or your gown slips. Nurses who took that responsibility on to allow me to retain dignity meant a lot to me. When I said “who cares” they said “we do, baby, don’t move we will tie your gown. No no no you don’t need to move, we’re gonna scooch you right on over.”

As you probably know after anesthesia and/or a catheter you have to relieve yourself to be discharged. A nurse stood with me in the bathroom pouring warm water in between my legs because she knew I could get little droplets but was getting pee-shy and that asshole bladder gets lazy. That makes me tear up. I apologized for the act, while she chose to do it, and she laughed with me as if it was two friends in a bathroom helping each other.

I could go on forever. Nurses are absolute saints. Some of us (me) hate appearing weak and needing help. When a nurse acts like it is nothing to them, rather their pleasure, and treats me with that empathy and laughs with me, can sense my hesitation … it can be the difference between a panic attack and a positive attitude.

I’ll add: I’ve had nurses advocate for me to doctors. Huge. They see me more, they know when im hurting or acting strange. Absolute saints.

Watch and wait is brutal. A neuroendocrine tumor was found in my appendix during pathology after emergency appendectomy two months ago (meaning they had no idea I had cancer when they removed appendix so they did not look for/take other tissue). The tumor was stage 3 bc it was small BUT was spreading out of the “skin” tissue into my mesoappendix. They believe they removed it all Bc of the size/likelihood of it leaving my appendix&mesoappendix was small. To “finalize” their belief I am “cured” is more localized CAT scans with contrast for lymph nodes & the rest of my GI. It just feels like … I know they are being careful but why not schedule a colonoscopy too given then appendix location? My numbers are good. I don’t want a hemicolectomy. But I want to know I’m clear :/

Sorry to vent. I’m tired of waiting.