No News is Good News
Well, I had my CT scan this morning.
I headed over to my doctor’s office this morning, arriving very early. In fact, a good thirty minutes before they opened. So, I called work to make sure C. knew where I was at and gave her my cell number, in case there was an IT emergency. Then, I had her transfer me over to the president’s voice-mail, since I report to him, I thought he should know where I was all morning. Seemed reasonable. Not that it’s a big deal. I generally work more hours than all but two or three of the salaried people at my office, so they can afford to give me a little leeway about this pneumonia thing.
So, naturally, I’m on the phone with yet a third person when they open the office and a mess of people get in before me, so I sit and wait another thirty minutes just to get my blood drawn and my order for the CT scan. Then, I hot-foot it over to the imaging center so I can wait a little more. Something close to an hour and a half, but they got me in the same day, so it’s not so bad. Oh, and apparently, my insurance doesn’t cover the CT scan so I had to cough up $450. Thank God this is a month we get three paychecks! Normally, I hate getting paid every two weeks, but this month it’s going to work out very well for me.
It was an “open” CT scan, which means it was basically just a donut they passed me through. But, I had to lay flat on my back. I got down on my back and immediately started breathing heavy. The genius tech looked at me and asked if I was having trouble breathing. I thought, yeah, moron, that’s what the funny look on my face means and why I’m making that strange whistling noise! But, instead of saying that, I reminded him that I was here because I had pneumonia and probably a lung full of fluid. So, he told me how the machine was going to ask me to hold my breath and that if I couldn’t, to just let it out slowly and breathe back in slowly, too. While I couldn’t hold my breath all the way every time, I was able to get by with just a slow exhale to finish out the count for the nice machine overlord.
Now, the doctor didn’t say it, but I’m sure he was checking for cancer, since I have a family history of that. The tech seemed to think it was just a lung full of fluid from the pneumonia. I would be surprised at this point if I ended up with cancer. A bit early for my family, and I’m much more aware of it than anyone else in my family and have made dietary changes to suit my family medical history. High-fiber and, usually, light on the red meat. More fish and chicken and even straight vegetarian sometimes. I know, I know, heresy in Texas, but there you have it. (Though I have to admit I do have a weakness for bacon. “Bacon makes it better!”)
So, tomorrow morning at 11:30am, I go see the doctor to get the results. And, no doubt, several prescriptions to drain the lung and fix whatever else ails me. Hopefully, I won’t have to go into the hospital to get my lung drained, but whatever the doctor tells me to do, I’ll just do. Now that I’m under a doctor’s care, it would be foolish to do any less.
What was interesting, though, was the call I got about 1:00pm. C. had been out to lunch when I finally came back, so she didn’t know I was in the office. She called on my cell phone to see how I was doing. She lost her mother to cancer, so she knows why they tend to send folks for CT scans in situations like this. It was a little surprising to me that she’d get worried. Honestly, she’d started to get rather predictable, even going back to her old, less-than-kind boyfriend when she was denied her work-related dating. Took about as long as I thought it would, too. Under two weeks. Predictable. But, the concern was a bit of a novelty. She even apologized for not being as good a friend as she should have been when she saw me in person next.
The other surprise was the other girl who started at the same time C. did, O. coming by to check on me. I don’t think I’ve ever done more than exchange a few pleasantries with her, maybe flirt a little, but she seemed quite genuinely concerned for my health.
Honestly, I had no idea so many people worried about me! It’s sort of nice to know. And, I’m sure my mother is relieved to know that people are looking out for me down here, so far away that she can’t.
So, still, no real news yet. I’m sure I’ll have more tomorrow after seeing the sawbones tomorrow.
