Sunday, January 30, 2005
Don't you just hate it when...
The internal medicine physician ordered additional blood tests and a cat scan. He also performed a thorough physical examination and completed an in depth medical history. I’ll never forget the telephone call from his nurse who asked me to come into the office for the results of my examination. She wouldn’t divulge anything over the telephone. As a former nurse myself, I knew that the diagnosis was going to be serious, because she was reluctant to discuss any aspect of the findings with me personally. I scheduled the appointment for that same day and I began counting the minutes until the results of my diagnosis could be presented to me. Upon my arrival at his office I was directed to the unavoidable purgatory of the examination room. I’ll never forget sitting on that cold, white table awaiting the diagnosis. In the stark silence of those moments a million thoughts raced through my mind. After the customary fifteen to thirty minute waiting period, the physician made his entrance into the room. I distinctly remember him saying, “Well, Mr. Hall, I have good news and not-so-good news.” Ugh! Don’t you just hate it when someone prefaces the conversation in that manner? He continued and said, “The good news is that you don’t have HIV.” I immediately countered by asking, “OK, so what’s the not-so-good news?” “Your test results indicate that you have Hepatitis C,” he replied. Suddenly, a wave of fear crept over me, and in an instant, everything seemed to be moving in slow motion. The doctor’s voice and body movements became measured and deliberate. It was an ethereal experience. I was numb as I watched his mouth slowly opening and closing as a muted murmuring of unintelligible words were echoing throughout the room. The physician tried his best to ally my fears by explaining all of the current treatment protocols for Hepatitis C. Unfortunately, his words fell on deaf ears.
