Cancer is a marathon

Cancer is not like a car accident – it takes awhile for it to get started in you. It also takes some time for you to recognize you might have something wrong; fatigue, lumps, bleeding. It may take you awhile to do something about it – for a wide variety of reasons. Once you decide to go see a doctor, you definitely will have blood work, urine analysis, and `maybe some imaging. You probably just figured out none of this can be done with Telemedicine. You will be waiting to get your first appointment, not with an oncologist, but a primary care doctor, then you’ll wait in the physician’s office to be seen, you’ll wait for the blood draw. Your doctor will listen to your history, take basic vitals, order imaging, and give you a physical exam. Then you’ll wait for several days to get the results. Whether you like it or not your doctor won’t give you the results over the phone; you’ll need to make an appointment to go back to see her in person to go over the results. If there is some indication you have cancer, then you’ll be waiting for additional imaging and lab work, especially a biopsy. After those results come back and the results are confirmed, then you’ll start all over again when you are referred to an oncologist. Depending on what cancer you have it may take more than 6 months for full diagnosis and treatment. After you’re done with that then over the next 5 years you will be regularly getting PET scans, CT scans, lab work, and doctor visits to see if you are in the clear for the next 5 years. I know you are in a rush to find out and get treated, but it doesn’t work that way at all. Cancer is a long game – prepare to be patient since you are now a permanent one.

Thanks for reading and letting me know your thoughts!