Today was Eve's follow-up appointment in radiation-oncology. Hard to believe it's been six months since we nuked her guts. Times flies when you're glowing green, I suppose.
Daniel tagged along on our trip to Duke. He didn't get too much notice in the hem-onc clinic where we went to get Eve a quick port flush. It wasn't until I successfully navigated the two-mile labrynth that leads to the rad-onc clinic that he started getting stares of sympathy.
The Radiation-Oncology Clinic is a lot different than the Hematology-Oncology Clinic in that rad-onc is almost all adult patients. When a kid walks in the waiting room, all head turns to the poor, short soul. Normally, these looks are reserved for Eve; today, it was Daniel.
A Duke volunteer came over to talk with me. Do you know what kind of treatment they'll be giving? No treatment, just here for a follow-up. How has he been handling all of this? Umm, I guess he's been cool. He's such a trooper! Look at all that energy! Sure, alrighty, thanks for the chat.
Fellow cancer parents, you know how you don't notice your kid is bald when the rest of the world does? I guess I am so used to Daniel wearing a patch for his amblyopia, I forget that the rest of the world in the oncology waiting room might think he has lost his eye to cancer.
I'm not sure if I should correct them or have him carry around a tin cup. The road to college savings is a long one. Might as well start early.
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Christy... you crack me up!
ReplyDeleteThat is so true. Our trip from peds onc to rad onc is a maze. I still don't understand how you walk from the 1st floor of one building right onto the 5th of another. Anywho. I usually jus peft a bread crumb trail :) But we have the same experience. As soon as we walk in the whole place turns. I had many adult onc patients in tears just by our presence. One sweet man had stg 4 lung cancer and was okay with it, but completely lost it over Julia. We'll think of you today as we head back to our own rad-onc to survey the damage from nuking our daughter. raying for some insight!
ReplyDeletethey have to to put the radiation in the core of the building. it's a lead bunker. the liner accelerators demand 7 foot thick concrete walls and the door is 20,000 pounds of lead bricks encased by steel. (let me spit some game)
ReplyDeleteChristyyyyyyyyy:)
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