Whose job is it anyway?
Today’s double header was topped off with 3 Wilensky specials. Dr. Kavan called us in right on schedule and declared, “Good news.” My heart skipped a beat, until he completed the announcement, “You’re going to be examined by some students.” Lunch bag letdown! Don’t know what I thought he might say, but that statement was clearly not what I was hoping for. The 2 students fumbled through the procedure in good humour, while Gilly amusedly cooperated.
When the ‘boss’ (as the students refer to him) finally appeared, he had little to say except that the treatment is going well and so everything will proceed as planned. I stepped in with our news (root canal and such) and mentioned that I had contacted 2 nurses at the neuro for instructional information, and have yet to receive a response. I alluded to the fact that the whole affair seems disjointed; Gilly is believed to be at the General by the nurses at the Neuro. We had to remind Dr. Kavan at this point that Gilly is being radiated at the Jewish. Without hesitation, he suggested he begin to see him at the Jewish instead, although he reiterated his opinion about availability of technology being superior at the neuro. I certainly don’t want to jeopardize the quality of Gilly’s long term treatment, so I voiced my willingness to compromise; if he will have better access to equipment at the Neuro, perhaps I can simply be more persistent. He discarded my offer and instructed me to call his secretary at the Jewish to make the next appointment.
Next, I questioned why he has not had a blood test as yet (except the one to determine if he could have root canal). I reminded Dr. Kavan that we were told from the start that blood would be drawn on a weekly basis. “They’re not doing that?” he asked. He explained that he was under the impression this was happening, and so we should have Gilly’s blood taken here and now. I reminded him that we are switching to the Jewish, and since we are to see Dr. Sultanen today, perhaps it should be done there. He agreed.
I mentioned that Marvin wants to follow up on the root canal with a filling, and a cleaning for preventative purposes. I wondered if now would be a good time, or if we should wait. He explained that it should be immediately or wait for another six weeks, due to the expected gradual, continual dip in immunity. It’s back to the dental chair A.S.A.P., it seems.
We forked off in different directions at this point; I went back to work, while Gilly and Jerry went off to Wilensky’s.
Our second reunion of the day took place at the Jewish at 4:00. We decided to meet early and go in together, so I would not miss Dr. Sultanen’s unscheduled appearance (in terms of exact time). After the radiation session, the Dr. was paged on the loud speaker, and we were called into his office moments later. Gilly asked about the MRI results. He said he still does not have the answer, but plans to call the radiologist tomorrow and will call us with the information. He asked if that would be O.K. with us.
I moved onto the subject of weekly blood tests. He claims this is normally done through oncology, which is why he had not ordered the tests. As he started to write out the order I informed him that Gilly will be seeing Dr. Kavan at the Jewish in future, so perhaps they should do the blood tests here through oncology. He insisted that the blood be drawn tomorrow through radio-oncology, and promised that he would take it from there in terms of organizing the procedure for the future. He expanded, “Dr. Kavan will have the results available to him sooner.” More stars on Dr. Sultanen’s page, folks!
Gilly’s mouth is still tender, but the pain is bearable. I mentioned to Dr. Sultanen that he is on Advil for pain, and he explained that this is better than Tylenol, since it will not mask a fever. Bingo!! New information surfaces daily. I had assumed Advil was best for swelling coupled with pain as it has anti-inflammatory powers, but had never considered this other aspect. I simply called the pharmacist to ask if he could take it with the other meds. I vow from here on in to become much more inquisitive.
I sincerely hope that I have not made a mistake by nudging Dr. Kavan to switch Gilly’s treatment over to the Jewish + Jewish. We’ll have to take each new day as it comes, and make sure that when he requires an MRI, he has access to the machine in good time. We still have trump cards if need be, so for now, my instinct tells me that Gilly is safer with all his doctors in one institution.
It was a constructive day, and yes, Lisa, I did dress for the weather. I was able to be present for all fieldwork matters brought up at today's department meeting (7 items on the agenda!). This makes life simpler for me down the line, since I am the coordinator of this arm of our program and am expected to follow through on decisions made at the department level. Thanks to Sheryl and Jerry, i did not miss a beat in this regard.
I am being cautious not to over extend myself along too many tangents these days. This takes a tremendous self-control, but it is vital that Gilly not be left alone unnecessarily while in his current compromised state. It is my pleasure to meet his every need and want.
When the ‘boss’ (as the students refer to him) finally appeared, he had little to say except that the treatment is going well and so everything will proceed as planned. I stepped in with our news (root canal and such) and mentioned that I had contacted 2 nurses at the neuro for instructional information, and have yet to receive a response. I alluded to the fact that the whole affair seems disjointed; Gilly is believed to be at the General by the nurses at the Neuro. We had to remind Dr. Kavan at this point that Gilly is being radiated at the Jewish. Without hesitation, he suggested he begin to see him at the Jewish instead, although he reiterated his opinion about availability of technology being superior at the neuro. I certainly don’t want to jeopardize the quality of Gilly’s long term treatment, so I voiced my willingness to compromise; if he will have better access to equipment at the Neuro, perhaps I can simply be more persistent. He discarded my offer and instructed me to call his secretary at the Jewish to make the next appointment.
Next, I questioned why he has not had a blood test as yet (except the one to determine if he could have root canal). I reminded Dr. Kavan that we were told from the start that blood would be drawn on a weekly basis. “They’re not doing that?” he asked. He explained that he was under the impression this was happening, and so we should have Gilly’s blood taken here and now. I reminded him that we are switching to the Jewish, and since we are to see Dr. Sultanen today, perhaps it should be done there. He agreed.
I mentioned that Marvin wants to follow up on the root canal with a filling, and a cleaning for preventative purposes. I wondered if now would be a good time, or if we should wait. He explained that it should be immediately or wait for another six weeks, due to the expected gradual, continual dip in immunity. It’s back to the dental chair A.S.A.P., it seems.
We forked off in different directions at this point; I went back to work, while Gilly and Jerry went off to Wilensky’s.
Our second reunion of the day took place at the Jewish at 4:00. We decided to meet early and go in together, so I would not miss Dr. Sultanen’s unscheduled appearance (in terms of exact time). After the radiation session, the Dr. was paged on the loud speaker, and we were called into his office moments later. Gilly asked about the MRI results. He said he still does not have the answer, but plans to call the radiologist tomorrow and will call us with the information. He asked if that would be O.K. with us.
I moved onto the subject of weekly blood tests. He claims this is normally done through oncology, which is why he had not ordered the tests. As he started to write out the order I informed him that Gilly will be seeing Dr. Kavan at the Jewish in future, so perhaps they should do the blood tests here through oncology. He insisted that the blood be drawn tomorrow through radio-oncology, and promised that he would take it from there in terms of organizing the procedure for the future. He expanded, “Dr. Kavan will have the results available to him sooner.” More stars on Dr. Sultanen’s page, folks!
Gilly’s mouth is still tender, but the pain is bearable. I mentioned to Dr. Sultanen that he is on Advil for pain, and he explained that this is better than Tylenol, since it will not mask a fever. Bingo!! New information surfaces daily. I had assumed Advil was best for swelling coupled with pain as it has anti-inflammatory powers, but had never considered this other aspect. I simply called the pharmacist to ask if he could take it with the other meds. I vow from here on in to become much more inquisitive.
I sincerely hope that I have not made a mistake by nudging Dr. Kavan to switch Gilly’s treatment over to the Jewish + Jewish. We’ll have to take each new day as it comes, and make sure that when he requires an MRI, he has access to the machine in good time. We still have trump cards if need be, so for now, my instinct tells me that Gilly is safer with all his doctors in one institution.
It was a constructive day, and yes, Lisa, I did dress for the weather. I was able to be present for all fieldwork matters brought up at today's department meeting (7 items on the agenda!). This makes life simpler for me down the line, since I am the coordinator of this arm of our program and am expected to follow through on decisions made at the department level. Thanks to Sheryl and Jerry, i did not miss a beat in this regard.
I am being cautious not to over extend myself along too many tangents these days. This takes a tremendous self-control, but it is vital that Gilly not be left alone unnecessarily while in his current compromised state. It is my pleasure to meet his every need and want.
posted by Gilly at 6:06 PM
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