God is in the Details of My Life

 From Doris:

I was privileged to witness that blessings come in the midst of what appear to be unnecessary delays.  

This past week was an exercise in patience because of miscommunication.  However, the delays caused by those miscommunications allowed me to receive a priceless gift.

At one of my first appointments with the oncologist, he mentioned genetic counseling.  Shortly afterwards I was contacted by a scheduler from the cancer clinic to schedule an appointment with a genetic counselor.

After reviewing my family’s cancer history, the genetic counselor told me I would need to get a skin punch biopsy to determine if my mantle cell lymphoma was caused by genetic mutations. Evidently MCL is a wildcard type of cancer.  Although genetic mutations may not be found in people who have MCL, it seems to run in families.  

I chose to be tested to provide cancer risk information for my children and siblings. According to the genetic counselor, I had to have a skin punch biopsy because my blood had cancer mutations. I guess cancer mutations make testing for genetic mutations through a blood test impossible.  

My skin punch biopsy appointment was this past Monday. The actual biopsy procedure was rather painless because of numbing agents, but I bled quite a bit.  By Wednesday, however, it was clear that I had an infection in the biopsy site. 

On Thursday I had a monthly appointment with the oncologist.  I showed him my wound.  He was indignant that I was asked to get a skin punch biopsy as my treatment drugs increase risk for infections. I had to stop taking my chemo pills for a week and take oral antibiotics. 

The oncologist ordered a “stat” ultrasound of the wound to see if I had an abscess.  That order was somehow mixed up and I was scheduled for a vascular ultrasound Thursday afternoon. Luckily the ultrasound technician realized the error and contacted my oncologist’s office.

I was told as I left the vascular ultrasound clinic that I would be contacted Friday morning by scheduling. Friday afternoon I was finally called by scheduling and told the earliest appointment available was next Tuesday morning. I am sure that does not qualify as “stat.”  Luckily my wound site is getting better every day.

Evidently the scheduler for the oncologist was out of the office on Thursday and Friday and the other schedulers were doing their best.

Because my infusion for Friday morning was postponed a week and my ultrasound was not scheduled, I was given a rare gift.  Paul and I got to go to the hospital Friday morning and meet our grandson, Ewan.  He is Kyle and Greer’s son and was born Thursday evening in the same hospital where I go for treatments.

Instead of being in the chemotherapy infusion center (CIC) or having an ultrasound, we were with Kyle, Greer and Ewan when Lachlan met his new brother. Greer’s mother and sister who were taking care of Lachlan brought him to the hospital.  Lachlan walked into the room straight into his mother’s outstretched arms and then asked to see his baby brother.  His sweet face was filled with awe as with his mother’s help he was able to hold Ewan. It was a moment of pure joy in my life and I could not keep from crying happy tears.

So the next time I get frustrated by delays and setbacks in my treatments, I am determined to remember this sacred moment.  It is a powerful reminder that God is in the details of my life.