When did specialists get so young?

Tom and Sue come to the appointment.  Lots of background information and taking of notes.

Dr Nordeen has fitted me on to his endoscopy list that day so I return to the hospital later in the afternoon.

The endoscopy is painless and memorable for the fact that I can’t remember it – not that you’d want to. One minute you’re there, the next you’re waking up – cough, cough, um fart, fart.

Dr Nordeen speaks to me afterwards and confirms that the tumour is very suspicious.

I need to have a blood test and a scan – tomorrow morning would be good. Saturday morning? Yep!

Tom and Holly drive me home – all 200 metres from the hospital. It’s hot, but once home I am freezing and get the shakes. Think I’m in shock. Holly give me big hugs.

#can’tbeatagoodhug

This doesn’t look like being a good day.

Has to be a hard thing for a GP to break news such as this. But not nearly as hard as it is to hear it.

“There’s an obstruction, and it looks suspicious”. Or in the words on the radiologist’s report “malignancy is suspected.” Bang. take that. No sugar coating there.

An appointment is made to see a gastroenterologist at Western Hospital the following Friday – to set up some more tests including an endoscopy the next week.

Five minutes after I get home in a state of mild hysteria, my girlfriend (and Bali Buddy), Sue pops in in her lunch break from Western Hospital to say hello. Big mistake! Not the first time she’s managed to inadvertently call in at a time of crisis, but what a great friend to have around in a crisis (after she’d borrowed my glasses so she could read the report).

“No, you’re not xxxxxx-ed” – we can deal with this”.

Sue came back later to be here while I told Tom, and rang Sam.  Been a day for tough conversations.

She had also found out that Dr Nordeen – the Gastroenterologist was doing endoscopies in Friday, and there was a possibility mine could be scheduled for then. Would be good.

#Going tobealongcoupleof days

Can I get through this? Yes I can.

Lovely lunch with friends from King William Road at The Festival Theatre. Our Fashion Parade went well. All good.

#CantbethatsickcanI?

What set the ball rolling?

After having what I thought was a bit of fairly inconsequential “indigestion” for a while, mentioning it to my GP when there with a lurgy, and trying some tablets in case it was an ulcer, at her suggestion I eventually made an appointment for a barium meal and x-ray at Western Hospital.

It was the lesser of two evils – and endoscopy or a barium x ray. The x ray seemed like the less invasive course of action for something I was sure I was over-reacting to.

(At the time of moving into my new abode, we joked about how convenient it was going to be, living so close to the Hospital and Medical specialists. Not so amusing now.)

So, after farewelling  Cassie and Penny back to Whyalla – was great to have had them here for a few days and to babysit Saturday night, I walked to the hospital – (not even a coffee for breakfast).

Drinking barium is a bit like drinking chalk mixed with milk, tho not quite so nice. You swallow it, and they watch it going down, down, down via x ray.

The body language of the technicians – as well as  “are you sure you’ve been fasting?”, and the fact that I got to have not one but two goes with the barium, gave me a pretty bad vibe.

When the GP’s rooms rang late that afternoon wanting to see me asap, the vibe got even worse.

#abariummealisntmuchofamealatall