As you know Dad has to go and have a protime test, now bi weekly at his PCP's. Dr Biswas has been away visiting his family in India for the last several weeks. In the interim since we last saw Dr. Biswas, Dad had received a referral for a colonoscopy from someone whom he had this procedure with some three years ago. Dad had no desire to have this done and so we didn't go to the appointment. Unbeknownst to us the physician's office had called Dr. Biswas for Dad's medical records. This is the part where going to a Doctor who not only knows his patients, but also has the staff that goes above and beyond pays off. One of the nurses (and there are two Vickie and Rhonda who know Dad very well) went and notified the Doctor that medical records were being requested. This set Dr. Biswas off and we discovered later he had been frantically trying to get in touch with us to recommend we don't go to this appointment. It happened to be the day before my mother's birthday and so we had been out to dinner and didn't get the messages until much later after the fact. When we saw him the next day on Friday he explained why he had been so determined to stop us.
Dad had the procedure three years prior. They had found and removed a polyp. No cancer of any kind. The first reason Dr. Biswas didn't want him even going to the consult was because it was an unnecessary drive to Ellsworth. While only a half hour away, his reasoning was why make him travel that far if he doesn't have to. The second reason was what I've adjusted to this last year and that is managing expectations, something I wrote about in another blog entry. As the good doctor said, if Dad goes for this procedure, stuff like his blood thinner will have to be altered, stopped, changed, something that is always a risk. That's part one and a very important part one. Part two is the what if. What if he did go and have the procedure done? Now let's say, God forbid, they find a cancer. We as a family have to then make a decision about managing that possibility on top of the stroke that should have killed him. Would that be something we would even want to put him through? Why even go there if he is healthy in every other respect? Dad recently had his blood work done and he is in perfect health. His 'numbers' couldn't be more perfect. Why rock the boat? Is ignorance bliss or merely rose colored foolishness? As optimistic as I am (and I'm sometimes foolishly optimistic) I'm also not about putting Dad through something that could have a risk of any kind. Not now, not anymore. I'm about focusing on Dad building up his strength, both physically and mentally. What I focus on is that almost two years into the stroke he asked Dr. Biswas, out of the blue, "How was India?", knowing he was out of town and visiting family. A year ago he wouldn't have been able to form that sentence. I say again a year ago he wouldn't be able to form that clear and concise sentence. That is my focus.
Dad had the procedure three years prior. They had found and removed a polyp. No cancer of any kind. The first reason Dr. Biswas didn't want him even going to the consult was because it was an unnecessary drive to Ellsworth. While only a half hour away, his reasoning was why make him travel that far if he doesn't have to. The second reason was what I've adjusted to this last year and that is managing expectations, something I wrote about in another blog entry. As the good doctor said, if Dad goes for this procedure, stuff like his blood thinner will have to be altered, stopped, changed, something that is always a risk. That's part one and a very important part one. Part two is the what if. What if he did go and have the procedure done? Now let's say, God forbid, they find a cancer. We as a family have to then make a decision about managing that possibility on top of the stroke that should have killed him. Would that be something we would even want to put him through? Why even go there if he is healthy in every other respect? Dad recently had his blood work done and he is in perfect health. His 'numbers' couldn't be more perfect. Why rock the boat? Is ignorance bliss or merely rose colored foolishness? As optimistic as I am (and I'm sometimes foolishly optimistic) I'm also not about putting Dad through something that could have a risk of any kind. Not now, not anymore. I'm about focusing on Dad building up his strength, both physically and mentally. What I focus on is that almost two years into the stroke he asked Dr. Biswas, out of the blue, "How was India?", knowing he was out of town and visiting family. A year ago he wouldn't have been able to form that sentence. I say again a year ago he wouldn't be able to form that clear and concise sentence. That is my focus.
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