A Quick Trip to the Duke Cancer Center Today

The last few days have been miserable ones for Joe. His back pain has increased in intensity each day. The pain has caused constant nausea and bouts of vomiting. He finished the infused antibiotic on Tuesday and had the picc line removed the same day. He spent much, and by much I mean all except for maybe 2 hours, in bed Tuesday with a heating pad on his back and taking his pain meds. He hardly ate anything and what he did eat did not stay with him very long. In the wee hours of this morning he got up and took 2 more pain meds without eating and of course within an hour or so, he was throwing up again. (See post earlier this year about eating when he takes his pain meds....a must do!). Joe had called the oncology triage number on Tuesday and spoken to our oncology nurse. She told him which of his pain meds should be most effective and to call again today if he wasn't any better. Well obviously this morning he wasn't so he called back. At first they thought he should go see his primary physician but an appointment there would not be possible until Thursday. Daryl, our nurse, called back a little later and said that Dr. Zafar wanted him to come in for a CT scan and had scheduled an appointment for 1pm today. So I left work at noon, picked Joe up and off to the Duke Cancer Center we went. We won't have the results for days but Dr. Zafar should have seen the results by days end and should at least know if the pain is coming from something cancer related. That is the biggest fear. We already know that one of the common symptoms of pancreatic cancer is a specific type of back pain but thus far, the area where Joe's pain has been is not typical. But time will tell.

One positive is that this afternoon the pain has eased off some. He was even willing to walk back to the parking deck after we left the DCC instead of waiting for me to drive around and pick him up. After stopping to get him some lunch, I dropped him off at home and went back to the office. Apparently he felt well enough after he had his lunch to make a quick trip to the grocery store for a few items. He even had dinner ready when I got home. Although his back is still bothering him, it is obvious that he is better. Hopefully this isn't temporary and he will continue to improve. The last time his back was hurting really bad it only lasted a couple of days. We are now on day 4 so I am very hopeful it has run it's course.

While I have your attention I have one pet peeve I have to get off my chest. Parking decks and the way people drive in them. I spend a lot of time in parking decks. Weekly at the one at the cancer center and then in the last few months, the visitor deck at Duke Hospital. What is it about a parking deck that frightens people so? I'm assuming it is fright that causes them to drive at a maximum speed of 2 mph while in the deck. And what is worse, why am I always behind them? Do they see me coming? For goodness sake people, the empty spaces are easy to see without crawling along. Some of us would like to just park and go inside. There are only a limited supply of spaces right by the elevator. I know we all want one, but you can see from 50 feet away if there is one. You don't have to approach them so slow. I am not saying that I think you should speed through the deck, but a solid 15 mph, still slow, but moving would help out those of us with someone sick or who have somewhere to be because, yes, even when leaving, I still get behind the car that is deathly afraid someone will back out and they won't see them in time to stop. Believe me however, at 2 mph, you will have plenty of time to stop. So if your reflexes are so slow as to make you afraid to drive in the deck any faster than a snail, consider calling a taxi. For the love of all that is gracious and holy, if you don't, you will be the reason that I end up in hell.
There, I feel better.

Radiology waiting room (actually just a small part of it) at the Duke Cancer Center