#first oncology consultation
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Online Oncology Consultations: Bridging the Gap in Healthcare for Children and the Elderly
Introduction: In recent years, advancements in technology have revolutionized the way healthcare services are delivered. One such breakthrough is the ability to Consult oncologist online. This development has brought immense convenience and accessibility, especially for two vulnerable age groups: children and the elderly. In this blog, we will explore the significance of online oncology consultations for children and the elderly, particularly focusing on the importance of the first consultation and how it can benefit cancer patients.
1. Enhancing Access to Oncology Consultations: Consulting an oncologist online eliminates geographical barriers and provides easy access to specialized care. For children and the elderly, who may face mobility issues or have limited access to healthcare facilities, this digital platform opens doors to receive expert advice from the comfort of their homes.
2. The Importance of the First Oncology Consultation: The first consultation plays a crucial role in the diagnosis and treatment planning process. Online consultations enable prompt initiation of care, allowing children and elderly patients to seek medical attention without delays. Early intervention is key when it comes to cancer management, and virtual consultations ensure a timely start to the treatment journey.
3. Comfort and Familiarity for Children: Children undergoing cancer treatment often experience anxiety and fear when faced with new environments or unfamiliar faces. Online consultations provide a sense of familiarity and comfort as they can interact with their oncologist from their homes or a familiar environment. This reduces stress and promotes better communication between the child, their family, and the medical team.
4. Addressing Mobility Challenges in the Elderly: For elderly individuals who may have limited mobility or rely on caregivers for transportation, online oncology consultations eliminate the need for travel. This not only saves time and energy but also reduces the burden on the patient and their caregivers. The elderly can receive expert advice and guidance without the physical strain associated with in-person visits.
5. Comprehensive and Coordinated Care: Online oncology consultations ensure that the child or elderly patient receives comprehensive and coordinated care. The virtual platform allows the oncologist to collaborate with other specialists, including pediatricians or geriatricians, ensuring a multidisciplinary approach to treatment. This holistic approach improves patient outcomes and overall quality of care.
Conclusion: Consulting oncologists online has proven to be a game-changer in healthcare, particularly for children and the elderly facing cancer. It bridges the gap in accessibility, promotes early intervention, and provides comfort and convenience for patients and their families. The cancer consultation online sets the stage for successful treatment, and online platforms facilitate this crucial step with efficiency and effectiveness. By embracing technology, we can revolutionize cancer care for vulnerable populations, ensuring a brighter and healthier future for all.
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House Swapped au where you have
Dr Foreman, Dean of Medicine. First black person to act as such in PPTH’s history, and equally proud and defensive of it. No longer practicing neurology, but has a keen interest in mentoring med students and residents. Set up the Department of Diagnostic Medicine for Chase, and has a (not so) secret interest in participating, even if he thinks he shouldn’t. Often manages to get roped in somehow, anyhow. Not many at the hospital like him, although they do respect him.
Dr Cameron, department head of the E.R. Formerly an immunologist, after her husband’s death she prefers the fast paced environment, but is still available for immunology consults. Loves doing Clinic, is on the transplant board, one of the main routes through which diagnostics gets their cases, and involved in as much hospital business as she has time for. Her relationship with Dr Chase is tumultuous, in an on-again off-again are-they-together-or-not situationship. They’re friends, and sometimes lovers, but they’re too unstable to be long-term partners.
And Dr Chase, intensivist and surgeon turned crackpot diagnostician after a freak altercation with an intensive care patient left him reliant on a crutch (of course, with no House to diagnose him, a week of PT isn’t the solution). Although NOT addicted to Vicodin, he remains bitter/traumatized about the situation and refuses to interact with patients, often going to extreme lengths to avoid them. In a weird thing with Cameron, a brutal gossip and flirt, and mostly well-liked among the nurses, if not somewhat pitied (but only by the new ones). Bad at keeping fellows due to his less-than-stellar teaching style, but maybe this newest batch will be alright:
Dr Cuddy, an endocrinologist recently off of her residency. Has big goals and lofty ambitions, and will do anything to get there. Not the best diagnostic fellow, but she can handle her colleagues and is incredibly good at handling patients and their families. Is probably fooling around with one of the new hotshot hospital lawyers, but no one can prove it. Wants kids one day, but she’s more focused on her career right now.
Dr Wilson, once-divorced oncologist. A strange fellowship to end up in, but after his friend told him about the position decided to apply. Spends his weekends looking for his lost brother. Hoping the fellowship will offer him a chance to join the oncology department. Also good at dealing with patients, he’s the go-to for delivering bad news. Chronic flirt, but on good terms with all the nurses.
And Dr House, nephrologist and infectious disease specialist, who took the position in diagnostics because he was “getting bored” with his other specialities. Loud, abrasive, and boisterous, he’s Chase’s go-to for b&e and sniffing out patient lies. Is unfortunately the most stubborn, and will do anything to prove himself right, including getting assaulted on several occasions. Chase’s longest running employee, he met Wilson several years ago in New Orleans and convinced him to move to Princeton. Cuddy he met in med school, and they’ve kept in touch since.
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EviCore has several ways to cut costs for insurers. Chief among them is the dial, the proprietary algorithm that’s the first stop in evaluating a prior authorization. Based on data entered by a doctor’s office, it can automatically approve a request. The algorithm cannot say no, however. If it finds problems, it sends the request for review to a team of in-house nurses and doctors who consult company medical guidelines. Only doctors can issue a final denial. This is where tweaking the dial comes in. EviCore can adjust the algorithm to increase the number of requests sent for review, according to five former employees. The more reviews, the higher the chance of denials. Here’s how it works, the former employees said: The algorithm reviews a request and gives it a score. For example, it may judge one request to have a 75% chance of approval, while another to have a 95% chance. If EviCore wants more denials, it can send on for review anything that scores lower than a 95%. If it wants fewer, it can set the threshold for reviews at scores lower than 75%. “We could control that,” said one former EviCore executive involved in technology issues. “That’s the game we would play.” Over the years, medical groups have repeatedly complained that EviCore’s guidelines were outdated and rigid, resulting in inappropriate denials or delays in care. Frustration with the rules has led some doctors to refer to the company as EvilCore. There is even a parody account on X. The guidelines are also used as a tool to cut costs, the investigation found. Company executives “would say, ‘Keep a closer eye on the guidelines for reviews for a particular company because we’re not showing savings,’” said a former EviCore employee involved in the radiation oncology program.
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sometimes i rlly think abt the bs crap that goes on in gynecology/obstetrics and i just get so pissed and frustrated and sad and angry and eugh
when i told my gyno that i wanted my uterus out she said, and i quote, "well no one is going to do that."
i told her that i wanted it noted in my file that i want it removed and she said "i can write it down, but i can garuntee that there's no one who will do it. you're too young. that's maybe not the way it should be, but it's how it is."
recently had a consultation with a second gyno, for second opinion on the ridiculous uterus shit, and when i told her that i was concerned abt having adnomieosis she said "well everything looks fine, and the only way to tell at this point would be to remove it and look at it under a microscope, and you don't want to do that, you're not done with your uterus yet, you're young."
heLLO?? i very much do want to do that?? did you even read my file??? that's very clearly exactly what i want???
other medical professionals have said things along the same lines, and it just pisses me off.
start. listening. to. your. patients.
i have dozens of stories of medical professionals not listening to their patients, not just my stories either.
med professionals not listening to allergies, not listening to pain ratings, not listening to reported symptoms, not listening to hundreds and hundreds of people and it rlly pisses me off
LISTEN TO YOUR FUCKING PATIENTS OR GET A NEW JOB.
edit: i'm ridiculous and said "oncology" when i meant "obstetrics" bc i wrote down the first o-word i could remember
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it's the first day of my new rotation -- community of family medicine! i just accomplished my outside rotation. the last two weeks have been lighter compared to our 1 week in a public hospital somewhere in pasig, but the hospital i just rotated in came with its own challenges.
i was decked in ward 4 (onco/hema) ward where there are lots of leukemia patients (as mentioned in this post). then ward 8 where i stayed longer. ward 8 is the surgery ward where i was decked with a notorious resident who was rumored to throw a test tube at a junior intern but we were good when we worked together. we became close she bought ice cream for us and even asked for perfume recommendations. it wasn't so bad!
ward 8 was also full of interesting cases. i was able to handle neonates with omphalocele, gastroschisis, hirschsprung disease etc. it wasn't as depressing as the oncology ward, but it was humid (as the doctor's quarters weren't airconditioned). there is more room compared to the oncology ward so the relatives either sleep on the floor or beside the patient. i heard that some patients code (meaning, we have to resuscitate/revive them), especially neonates with multiple congenital anomalies, but there weren't any during my shift. some children came in just for the surgery (inguinal hernia, ruptured appendicitis) then was discharged after. some didn't stay long compared to the onco ward children who spends their life in hospitals.
i was excited during my pedia surgery ward rotation because i love surgery, i love scrubbing in surgical cases. i was waiting for an open heart surgery but i was on night duty when they had an operation scheduled :-( i was able to scrub in, however, in a bag insertion in a patient with gastroschisis. it was interesting.
my rotation ended with me being pulled from neonatal ICU to the hema/onco ward again. i was pulled out because a kid with myelodysplastic syndrome need to be monitored. she was on DNR (do not resuscitate). she was grunting, had high fever (Tmax 41C), and was seizing every now and then. when i got there at 8pm, everything was up (her temperature, heart rate, and respiratory rate). we advised tepid sponge bath to the mother after ordering an antipyretic, to which she complied, and had units of platelet concentrate standby. in the past few days, this kid was receiving platelet concentrates because her platelets were consistently, extremely low, to the point that she already had intracranial hemorrhage. this kid has polydactyly (with extra fingers) and trisomy 8. her mouth was red from the mucosal bleeding.
at 2 in the morning, she expired. the mother called me because her breathing seemed slow so i ran to the patient and immediately checked her heartbeat. my adrenaline was up, thinking of all the possibilities that could come after (basic life support sequence), but then i remembered that kid was on DNR, and that made me melancholic. i listened to the heartbeat and from 164 just an hour ago, it was 64. i checked the radial pulse and it was really thready, almost next to nothing. after a few more seconds, i listened to the heartbeat again and there was nothing i could hear. i informed the parents that their kid just expired and informed the hospitalist (junior consultant) on duty that the kid just died.
this time, i wasn't on the verge of tears like the last time a kid died on my shift. this time i was rational, i was thinking of what came after -- the papers that had to be prepared and submitted and the doctors i had to inform. i offered my condolences to the parents and left them to grieve. there is only so much i could do.
the hospitalist told me, "you don't have to monitor a kid hourly now," and i did not say anything. for me that kid was not an hourly monitoring hurdle for me. that kid's initials was A,D. that kid liked soup and stew. she was born with trisomy 8, myelodysplastic syndrome, and had polydactyly. her mother told me she was a good kid. and she just left this world, and a hole in her parents' heart.
#studyspo#studyblr#studycommunity#study#bujo#desk#productivity#bookblr#bullet journal#notebook#musings#clerkship
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Tantalus
Read on AO3 | tagging @today-in-fic | word count: 3,413
Summary: Mulder kisses Scully while she has cancer - and naturally, they never talk about what it means. Scully overhears Mulder calling it a mistake, and her hurt and confusion colour her view of their tumultuous relationship during seasons 5 and 6. TW: vague reference to suicidal thoughts.
There was nothing extraordinary about the day he finally kissed her. In fact, looking back, she’d be hard pressed to say which day it was: they all blurred together, those interminable hours spent on hospital beds, waiting for another visitor to stop by with wide, sad eyes. It made her feel like she was already in a casket, her loved ones processing past the body to say their goodbyes.
~~~
In the early days of her cancer, she’d found herself strangely fixated on a memory from her time on the oncology wards as a medical student. Mrs Baddesley was the lady’s name. Scully always thought of her as Mrs Baddesley, even though you can call me Polly, dear was practically her catchphrase. She remembered presenting her to the consultant, in the days when presenting a patient was still something new and nerve-wracking: This is Mrs Baddesley, seventy-three years old, presenting with a lung tumour secondary to an ovarian tumour. Treatment is adjuvant chemotherapy. Cisplatin appears relatively well received, with some nausea and vomiting reported.
Scully (who was just Dana in those days) got through her presentation relatively unscathed. The consultant had grilled her on mechanisms of action and drug distributions, but she wasn’t top of her class for nothing. As the doctor swept out of the room, her classmates following in his wake, Mrs Baddesley had clasped Scully’s hand. She looked down in surprise, worried that she’d offended her, but she was smiling.
“You looked more nervous than I am, and I’m on my third round of chemotherapy,” she said. Scully ducked her head, embarrassed: she was still learning to don that mask of clinical detachment. Mrs Baddesley squeezed her hand. “It’s a good thing, dear. I’ve banished my poor husband from the hospital, and it’s nice to meet another human being round here.”
The remark had confused Scully at the time, but it wasn’t until a month or so later that she understood it. She’d come across Mrs Baddesley again, this time in the outpatient waiting room, and had sat down to talk to her. She was doing well, she said. The chemotherapy hadn’t worked, but she’d made the decision to stop treatment. She smiled as she spoke about how she wanted her last months to go: she didn’t mind where she was, as long as her husband was there.
After a lull in the conversation, Scully asked why she’d not let her husband come to the hospital. Mrs Baddesley nodded, like she approved of the question. That was how Scully learned something her textbooks hadn’t told her: that patients could develop aversions to certain smells and tastes if they were exposed to them during chemotherapy. Turkey had been Mrs Baddesley’s favourite food before her first experience with cancer – and then she’d been given a Thanksgiving dinner during the worst of her chemotherapy, and ever since, the very sight of turkey made her retch. This time around, she’d been so scared that she’d develop an aversion to her husband’s smell that she wouldn’t let him visit her at all on the chemo days.
Scully never found out what happened to Mrs Baddesley, but her story had stuck with her over the years, and came back with full force after her diagnosis. In those early days, when she’d still had hope that, with the right treatment, she might make it through, she’d been careful to eat only bland foods. She’d switched out her bath salts and body scrubs for cheap unscented body washes. She’d even asked her mother to stop wearing her signature perfume, the one that always reminded Scully of playing dress-up with Melissa in their mother’s blazers.
She couldn’t bring herself to ask anything of Mulder, though. The idea of being deprived of his scent in those days when he seemed to do nothing but wrap his arms around her – it was unthinkable.
And then, of course, it didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to make it out alive, so she didn’t need to worry about associations and aversions after all. That was what she was thinking on that totally un-extraordinary day in the hospital as Mulder sat on the edge of her bed, holding her hand. Odd as it sounded, she was glad she could smell him to her heart’s content.
She wondered what he was thinking, looking down at her with dark eyes and the hint of a smile. She didn’t have to wonder for long: he cupped her face, leaned down, and kissed her, just like that. For a moment, all Scully could think of was how chapped and dry her lips must be, but then he licked at them and all rational thoughts made a swift departure. All that remained was God, finally and yes, yes, yes and her hands were tangled in his hair, pulling him closer.
It took a long time for him to pull back – about two minutes too long for it to be quietly brushed off as a quick peck between friends. He had a dazed expression on his face, which Scully thoroughly enjoyed. She sat up to chase his lips, fingers still carding through his hair, but the movement proved too much for the precarious state of her stomach, and she leapt out of bed to the toilet – a move she’d had too much practice of lately. Her lunch was in the toilet bowl – the Jell-O Mulder had pressed on her quickly threatening to join it – and she felt him stroking her hair back.
They’d been through too much together for her to feel embarrassed by this little episode. Once she was done, Mulder kissed the crown of her head and left her to clean her teeth. He had to get back to work; he was going to find a cure, he told her – he’d told her that before, of course, but this time…well, this time, she had a really good reason to hope he was right. That kiss was a promise. If she got better – well, they wouldn’t be interrupted by any ill-timed vomiting. She’d make sure of it.
~~~
And then she had gotten better.
There was no kissing yet, but that was okay. She was still recovering, and she knew that he needed to recover too.
There was promise, though. Something was shifting and shimmering between them: she could see it in his eyes as much as she could feel it within herself. It didn’t matter that they hadn’t put it into words: Mulder was right – they had an unspoken communication between them.
Driving to a teamwork seminar, whispering in the back of the car, she thought this might be it. Time away from the x-files, no life-threatening danger, plenty of time to talk across towers of office furniture. She was a little disappointed and more than a little irritated when Mulder blew off the conference at the first opportunity. He seemed to be blowing her off too, which worried her; it was something he’d done all the time when they’d first met – running off after leads without so much as a by-your-leave, but he tended to be more thoughtful these days.
She wondered if he was waiting for her to say something. That was fair, she supposed: he’d been the one to kiss her in the first place; perhaps it was her turn to make a move. So, she walked into his motel room with a plate of minibar wine and cheese…and naturally, he was completely oblivious and hightailed it out of there like his ass was on fire.
Still, they end up practically cuddling on the forest floor – and, realistically, wasn’t risking death by exposure and huddling for warmth much more them than wine and cheese? She wasn’t going to let the opportunity slide, so she told him about her anger when she was diagnosed with cancer, talked about giving her struggle meaning, and looked down at him, hoping that their unspoken communication would bring him the words she couldn’t quite say: that he had given her life meaning. He had brought her hope when all hope was lost, had loaned her his faith when hers had run out.
She hoped he understood.
~~~
It was a few weeks later that everything went wrong.
She’d bought a new pair of heels – the last ones had snapped when she was chasing down a suspect – and they were hell on her arches. She’d taken them off in the bathroom on her way back from lunch and was padding down the hallway back to the office, wincing with every step, when she heard Mulder’s voice through the door. She caught her name and decided to do some eavesdropping (what was a little eavesdropping between friends?), keeping her steps as quiet as possible as she approached the door.
“-and I told you that in confidence, Byers.” That wasn’t very promising: he was on the phone to the lone gunmen, then.
“I know you think I should tell her. You’ve told me a thousand times. I can’t.” Huh. Scully strongly suspected that she was the only ‘her’ in Mulder’s life. She certainly hoped so, after the way he’d kissed her.
“It was a mistake. A moment of weakness. It’s never going to happen again, so I don’t see why we need to talk about it.” Scully had a nasty feeling in her stomach. She didn’t want to listen anymore, but she was frozen in place. “You didn’t see her in that hospital bed. She was dying and there was nothing I could say or do to make it better.” Oh God.
“I know that, Byers. It was the lowest moment of my life. You think I don’t feel guilty enough? All I think about is that goddamn kiss-”
Scully backed away from the door, vision whiting out for a moment. He wasn’t – surely, he didn’t mean-
She turned and walked back down the hall as quickly and quietly as she could. She didn’t stop until she was sitting in her car in the lot, hands on the wheel and tears streaming down her face.
How could he?
That was the only question in her mind for the entire drive back to her apartment.
How could he call their kiss the lowest moment of his life?
How could he gossip about it to his friends, like she was some one-night stand and not his partner of five years?
How could he have kissed her in the first place, if he knew he didn’t have feelings for her?
Ha. Well, that explained the severe lack of reciprocation since her recovery. He hadn’t wanted to kiss her in the first place. He’d seen how much she wanted it – had pitied her – and figured he’d never have to follow through, since she’d be fucking dead anyway.
That was when the rage hit her.
She’d always had something of a temper, though she’d learned to push it down, only let it out when lives were at stake. That annoyed her too. She hated being called fiery – hated the not-so-subtle references to her hair or her biology. The men she worked with never seemed to need explanations for their anger – nobody smirked and asked if it was their time of the month, sweetheart.
As she slammed the door to her apartment shut behind her, she gave full vent to her feelings. Mulder was a jerk. He was as bad as those immature, misogynistic G-men she had to deal with every day. No, no, he was worse. He’d played with her hopes when she was at her most vulnerable, and apparently had never even planned on telling her that he regretted it. What, he was just going to leave her waiting for another kiss for the rest of her life? Asshole. And she’d seen the look on his face after they kissed; that was not the look of a man at his lowest moment. Maybe he’d reflected later on and grown to regret it, but he was lying to his friends and to himself if he said he wasn’t on fire in that moment, just like she was.
~~~
After a while, the rage subsided, and she just felt sad. She loved her job, she really did. She loved working with Mulder – she loved Mulder – but the idea that she would never have more filled her with profound sadness and indescribable longing. She wanted a life outside their quest – something to come home to after the long stake-outs and the brushes with death and the flirting in cars. And she’d really thought that was within her reach.
She was Tantalus: she’d stolen the secrets of the gods, and her punishment was to see everything she ever wanted just out of reach. Her safety – her sister – her health – her child – and now Mulder, all slipping through her fingers.
She was sad for herself, but she was sad for Mulder too. As soon as she was calm enough to think it through, the situation started to make sense, because Mulder wasn’t a jerk. She knew the way he’d been treated after his sister disappeared – the way he was blamed and the way he blamed himself – how he had twisted himself up in knots to please parents who barely acknowledged his existence. And she’d had some insight into his former relationships, none of which sounded healthy; she was willing to bet that he’d changed himself for those women too – that he’d forced himself to do things he didn’t want to in order to please them, because he felt like he didn’t deserve better. So, of course, when he saw a dying woman’s dying wish in her eyes, he’d fulfilled it, without a thought to what he wanted.
It made her sick, and she was still angry that he’d talked to his friends about it instead of her, but she understood it. And so she wiped her tears away, stowed away her anger for the next time lives were at stake, and drove right on back to work. When Mulder asked where she’d been, she managed a tight smile and told him she got stuck in line at the bank. The pencil that fell from the ceiling and hit him on the nose told her he’d missed her, at least. The smile on his face when she told him that the dinosaur-human hybrid he’d been doodling was downright anti-Darwinian was something close to love, wasn’t it?
~~~
The thing was – the thing was, that really would have been enough for her, had she never met Diana Fowley. She could have very readily believed that Mulder loved her as much as he was capable of loving another person: he was entirely devoted to her, she knew – he’d coughed up a half-dozen heartfelt speeches and a round trip to Antarctica to prove it. And Scully could take all of that – all the not-quite-love-confessions and the hospital visits and the forehead kisses – and she could mould it into something that was Enough.
But, no. In Diana Fowley there was living proof that Mulder, like her, wanted it all – had had it, too: a partner in his life’s work and a lover all in one. And suddenly it wasn’t Enough anymore.
Maybe it was childish and selfish, but if all those things between them that gave her life meaning were, to him, a mere echo of a life he’d shared with someone else, they were worth less to her. She couldn’t tell him that, of course. He seemed a hair-trigger away from calling her jealous and delusional at the slightest mention of Fowley – never mind the fact that she’d come to him with very real grounds for distrust.
These days, she felt like she was out at sea – that she was on her little boat of science and reason, being tossed about in his cosmic storm. She drove to work each morning wondering whether he’d be sweet or dismissive; whether he’d argue every little point with her or belly laugh at her wry jokes. It was maddening. He tried to kiss her a second time – he abandoned her to run off with Diana – he told her he loved her – he told her she was making it personal – he played doting husband – he played baseball with his arms around her – he called the debates that were the core of their partnership a perfunctory dance – he called her his constant, his touchstone.
What the hell was she supposed to make of it all?
~~~
It was after the world didn’t end in a hospital corridor that she finally just asked the question that had been on her mind for two and a half years.
“Mulder, why did you kiss me when I had cancer?”
He stared at her, opening and closing his mouth before finding the words. “I couldn’t help myself. I thought we might not get another chance. Same reason I kissed you in 1939.”
“You what?”
“Never mind that, Scully, why-”
“Yes, never mind that. The real question is how can you stand there and lie to me after everything we’ve been through together?”
“Lie to you? I’m not lying, Scully.”
“You are!” They could both hear the sob in her voice, and Mulder reached out to touch her arm but she flinched away. “I heard you on the phone to Byers. You called it the lowest moment of your life.”
“What? Scully, I never said that, I swear. I would never – all these years – every day, all I think about is that goddamn kiss.”
“You said that, too. I heard you, Mulder. You said it was a moment of weakness, and it would never happen again. You were pretty adamant on that point, actually. But it hasn’t stopped you trying, has it? Twice, now.”
Mulder stepped away, pale as she’d ever seen him. He remembered it, then. She wiped away a traitorous tear.
“I know what you mean, Scully. Or…I don’t remember the exact conversation, because I had a lot of phone calls with Byers that went something like that. But we weren’t talking about the kiss.”
Scully turned to leave – she wasn’t going to stand here listening to his bullshit excuses – but Mulder walked over and took her by the shoulders.
“Please listen to me, Scully. Please, please, hear me out. I can’t let this come between us any more than it already has.” It was the same tone of voice he’d used on her in a different corridor, but it was the feeling of his hands shaking on her shoulders that stopped her. She nodded at him.
“When you were sick – when it looked really bad, and I knew it was my fault that you were dying – no, don’t, it was – I did have a moment of weakness. I went back to my place and I drank too much. Nothing happened, I swear, I just thought about it. I got out my gun and I thought…but then I thought about you, and about our kiss, and what that meant, and I knew I couldn’t do it. It was just one moment, honestly. I called Byers and told him everything while I was still drunk and he talked me down from it. Once you got better, he wanted me to tell you, but you were still recovering and I didn’t want you to feel like you had to take care of me, and –”
Scully pulled him into her arms. She didn’t care about the kiss in that moment; all she could think of was how close she’d come to losing him, and she’d never even known it. God, what the hell would she have done?
He was still mouthing apologies into her neck so she pulled back and cupped his face in her hands.
“You didn’t regret it?” she asked.
“Not for a second.”
“You never brought it up again.” Illogical as it was, she found it hard to let go of the hurt she’d been carrying around for so long.
“Neither did you. And then, with Emily…I figured you needed space. I thought you’d say something when you were ready – and when you didn’t, I figured you regretted it.”
Scully laughed, though there were tears running down her face. They could figure out a global conspiracy but one little kiss had thrown them through a loop it took them two years to get out of.
She stroked his cheekbones with her thumbs: my constant. She stroked his lips: my touchstone. And then she kissed him, an answer to the promise he’d made her on her deathbed.
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Twilight Advent Calendar Day 5
Dec. 5 - What is each Cullen's favorite college major so far? What new major should they try someday?
Carlisle's favorite: Neurology. I think that Carlisle is someone who connects his faith and his medical practice together, and learning about the brain from a medical standpoint would have fascinated him. I see him studying this in Europe in the late 1700s/early 1800s, and then again in the very early 1980s.
Try someday: I'm going to say Pediatric Oncology. He's never specialized in children's medicine before, and the oncology specialty is particularly difficult because of the amount of loss associated with the department. But if he can use his abilities and lifetime of skills to get one child diagnosis or treatment a little bit sooner, then it's worth it. But the emotional toll would affect his family, so he hasn't tried yet.
Oh, or something revolving around English History, with a specific focuses on religion's role. He'd like to examine that part of his past from an analytical and academic perspective.
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Esme's favorite: Interior Architecture. It's one thing to decorate a room, which Esme enjoys, but it's a totally different thing to build the room from scratch to capture a specific kind of light, and be a specific shape, accentuate the sound of Edward's piano, and work with the movements and behaviours of her family. She just loves how she gets to create this sanctuary from nothing. And getting to explore that across residential and commercial spaces was magical to her. It's also one of those degrees she gets to use regularly.
Try someday: Languages. Like the rest of the family, she can speak quite a few, but she'd love to go back and get a formal qualification so that she could do translation work professionally. Esme always seeks out her favourite books in foreign editions to compare the translations, and would love to work on book translations.
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Edward's favorite: Music. It's his passion, and he loves to be able to study it so in depth, and get feedback from an academic and practical perspective from someone with a similar interest and passion. Carlisle insists he can only study music once every two decades to encourage diverse interests and prevent a connection being made between identities, so he really savors it when he gets to study it again.
Try someday: Family Law. As as a way to honour his biological father, but Edward has no use for more money or fighting for the prestige in law school, so he likes Family Law the best. It would also come in handy for the Cullens' cover story, and with his gift he believes he could make sure children are protected. Realistically, though, he would only get away with practicing for a year or two, so he keeps putting it off. With the rise in video conferencing and online consultations, though, there's potential for the future.
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Rosalie's favorite: Nothing will ever take away the joy and pride Rosalie felt graduating from her very first Engineering degree. It's the one degree she prizes over the others because she was one of the first girls allowed in the program, and she graduated with honours (second place in the class because the school didn't want controversy, but Rose knows they fudged the grades.)
Try someday: Either Social Work or Early Childhood. Rosalie would love to advocate for women, especially those struggling, but she also recognises her bad temper would probably make a mess of the situation. Maybe one day. Early Childhood is more likely; it sounds wonderful but it's still hard - a little easier after Renesmee, but something she's working towards in the future.
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Emmett's favorite: Video game design - he loved every aspect of that because it was such a great mix of hardcore coding and computer work combined with more creative aspects. He also loved the diverse applications of it, and explaining how it was valuable for medicine and engineering. His final project was technically a failure because it ran too fast and the controllers were buggy according to his professors, but it was also the first vampire-speed video game to be made and he still adds levels to it every so often.
Try someday: Emmett puts a bunch of degrees that sound mildly interesting or really weird in a hat and draws one out each time. He claims that this creates diverse interests and keeps him on his toes. He just loves the looks at his family's faces when he announces that he'll be tackling a degree in Turfgrass Science or Amusement Park Engineering. Gunsmithing and Surf Science have both caught his eye, though.
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Alice's favorite: The very first fashion design degree she ever took. She went from being a girl that stole most of her clothing and wore them until they were destroyed, to learning how to choose fabric, how to draw patterns, cut and sew her own clothes. She learnt about designers, about how fashion shaped society, and it allowed Alice to build herself up from nothing - clothing is such a comfort to her, and being able to make it from scratch is just another level of security.
Try someday: Finance Law. It would be useful for her own wheelings and dealings, since most of her education in finance is from the 50s and 60s night school, playing the stock market, and what she gets from her visions. Having a formal degree in that area would also streamline a lot of stuff for the family. It's just so dry, Alice keeps putting it off. And yes, there would be major Elle Woods vibes if she gets around to it.
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Jasper's favorite: Philosophy. The boy does love a little bit of navel gazing and contemplation about humanity as a concept. It's helped him deal with a lot of things that happened in his past, and the choices that he made, as well as how to move forward. He loves getting out the old books and sinking into them for days; it's the only study area where he's actually worked as an online professor.
Try someday: Forensic Psychology. Jasper would love to understand what makes people tick, especially abnormal ones. He would love to understand how he became such a monster, and if it was inevitable or if there was a trigger. And he would really enjoy figuring out the motivations behind crimes. Everything about Forensic Psychology appeals to the strategic side of him.
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Bella's favorite: English literature. Bella loves it. She loves classic novels, and getting to study them is a dream. She loves discussing them in depth with other people who are just as passionate about them, and examining the difference in language and media portrayals, as well as the reflections from the author's real lives. She gets to shut herself up with a stack of her favourites, write about them, and get graded on her thoughts. It's perfect.
Try someday: Education or publishing. I think Bella would enjoy teaching literature to high school students, especially at a selective school where the kids were high achievers and invested in their education. She'd be a deadly serious English teacher, maybe even aim for a year or two teaching at a college-level. Or I could see her going into media to get into publishing and editing, allowing her to commit extensive time into reading, but also helping shape future books.
#twilightadvent23#late to the party#and wearing a temporary brace on my hand so this took three times as long to type out#headcanons#i had a few thoughts about my choices#emmett has the weirdest collection of degrees out of the family#you can't change my mind
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Brittney Pearson, 37, told DailyMail.com that she was threatened with legal action by the prospective parents after receiving a breast cancer diagnosis
The mother-of-four, from Sacramento, said she felt like 'a rented-out uterus'
A California mother has claimed she was told to terminate her surrogate pregnancy at 24 weeks by the child's prospective fathers after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Brittney Pearson, 37, from Sacramento told DailyMail.com that she was diagnosed with breast cancer in May at 22 weeks.
She says that after a full body MRI revealed the extent of the disease, the gay couple who were paying her to carry their child used legal threats to pressure her into terminating the pregnancy.
Initially, Pearson claims, doctors at Sutter Health Medical Centre in Sacramento, believed she would be able to have a form of chemotherapy treatment compatible with pregnancy, and would then be induced at 34 weeks gestation.
The prospective fathers, who haven't been named but are from Southern California, were allegedly happy for her to receive treatment and continue with the pregnancy.
However, when medics realized the HER2+ cancer had spread further than expected and that more aggressive chemo would be needed to combat it, relations between Pearson and the prospective parents broke down.
The unnamed gay couple, Pearson claims, wanted the baby 'immediately terminated' and 'erased' as they believed it had no chance at life.
They did not want a baby born before 34 weeks because they allegedly feared the infant would have considerable health problems, it is claimed.
The Center for Bioethics and Culture Network, an anti-surrogacy group which first reported on Pearson's case, claims the prospective fathers also sought to bar Pearson from carrying the child to term, then giving it up for adoption.
They're said to have told her that they didn't want their 'DNA out there', being raised by someone else. DailyMail.com has been unable to contact the prospective dads to verify that claim.
Pearson told DailyMail.com of the distress she felt after the prospective fathers allegedly 'threatened everyone they could with a lawsuit' including Pearson, her agency and Sutter Health.
At one point, she claims, her oncology team, after being threatened with legal action, said they were not sure they could give her chemo and would need to consult their own lawyers.
'It was frustrating because I wanted to give them a family' she told DailyMail.com, 'they said they cared but they didn’t. I felt betrayed and heartbroken.'
The mother-of-four, who had already successfully completed one round of surrogacy before, said she was left feeling like 'a rented-out uterus'.
'The first thing I thought after I was diagnosed was I want to keep this baby safe and bring it earthside' she said.
'I would have been there, I would have given him every chance of survival , I had people ready to help' she claimed.
Pearson told DailyMail.com she found a hospital that would deliver her baby, but would not elaborate on whether or not the procedure was inducement or termination, and whether or not the fetus was born alive.
She would only confirm that it has since died.
'The baby was born on Father’s Day, my mother got to hold him and take pictures but he did not survive' she explained.
Pearson felt further upset by the prospective parents decision to take the fetus' remains and cremate them.
'I would have done things differently, I didn't understand it since they didn't see him as a baby at all.'
Pearson said she is speaking out about her experience because she 'never wants anyone else to feel like this'.
Despite her harrowing account she has not changed her mind about surrogacy: 'I wouldn't do it again, but I still think surrogacy has a great time and place but [prospective] families need to be screened a little more.'
Pearson said her surrogacy agency, who she did not want to name, were 'very supportive and still are' but that the fathers had not contacted her since she had the baby.
Jennifer Lahl, president of The center for Bioethics and Culture Network said of the case: 'I often say, there are plenty of reasons to get people to see how surrogacy is wrong, is harmful, and is bad for women and for children.
'This case highlights many of the problems with contracted, largely commercial, pregnancy.'
Pearson, who has four of her own children 3, 5, 12 and 13 years-old, is currently unable to work while receiving treatment.
Her sisters Courtney and Ashley Pearson set up a Go Fund Me page to accept donations to see her through this difficult time.
'Britt was recently diagnosed with HER2+ breast cancer. Britt and her family need our love and support during this heartbreaking time' the sisters wrote.
Adding: 'She is the main provider for her family of 6 and is unable to work during her cancer treatments. Please help share this so that they won’t have any added stress!'
Sutter Health declined to comment when approached by DailyMail.com.
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Two weeks after this photo was taken, I received a phone call that nobody ever wants to receive.
I was dealing with a slew of health issues: an inability to lose weight, hair loss, swollen lymph nodes, fatigue so intense that getting out of bed felt like a miracle, and severe brain fog. My joints were in so much pain that I found myself using a heating pad for most of the day.
I consulted my aunt, who is a pediatrician, and she reviewed my recent blood work. She observed that my TSH levels were consistently borderline high, often surpassing the normal threshold. Encouraged by her insight, I visited my OBGYN and shared my symptoms. She ordered hormone testing and referred me to a rheumatologist, given that lupus runs in my family. The results indicated elevated TSH, DHEA, and C-reactive protein levels.
I then saw a remarkable rheumatologist who conducted over 120 tests. All came back normal except for my thyroid antibodies, and I was diagnosed with arthritis in my hands. Around this time, my neck began to swell, feeling as though something was stuck in my throat. My primary care physician scheduled an ultrasound, which revealed swelling in my neck and a lymph node, and identified a nodule or "ectopic" tissue.
Returning to my primary care doctor, I was told my lab results were normal and advised to follow up in a year, despite continuing to experience swollen lymph nodes and being told that the neck nodule was unrelated to the swelling. At this point had been to urgent care 3 times, completed 3 rounds of steroids, a z-pack, and tested negative for mono, Covid, and strep.
Despite my tendency to avoid conflict, something felt off, and I knew I wasn't okay.
I requested a referral to an endocrinologist, which I received, but they couldn't see me until after Christmas. Not wanting to wait, I found another endocrinologist who could see me on Halloween. At my first appointment, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and hypothyroidism. She ordered a biopsy "to be safe," emphasizing that a finding warrants investigation. Even at the hospital for my biopsy, the PA questioned its necessity given my primary care's advice to wait a year.
On 12/22, my endocrinologist informed me that the biopsy results were suspicious for thyroid carcinoma. I returned on 1/5 to discuss the findings.
They had sent my sample for Afirma testing, a genetic test for medullary thyroid cancer, due to the unusual results and the aggressive nature of the potential cancer.
I was then referred to an ENT, who suspected the nodule might actually be a lymph node. A CT scan confirmed this suspicion, revealing a lymph node suspicious for thyroid cancer, yet with no nodules on my thyroid itself.
The decision was made to remove the lymph node, with intraoperative pathology consultation to decide whether to also remove the thyroid.
On 2/24, the lymph node was removed, but pathology was indeterminate, leading to the decision not to remove the thyroid.
The following week, I was informed that my results had been sent to a larger university hospital for further analysis and a second opinion, an ominous sign according to my ENT.
Ultimately, it was confirmed as papillary thyroid cancer that had begun to metastasize to the lymph nodes, indicating occult thyroid cancer, typically undetected until it spreads to the lymph nodes. Likely, there are microcarcinomas on my thyroid undetectable by imaging. Thus, another surgery is required.
My complete thyroidectomy is scheduled for 4/24.
Honestly, none of this truly sank in until I received a call from the hospital's oncology department to schedule a radiation consultation for post-surgery RAI treatment.
It’s been an incredibly tough start to the year, to say the least.
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Are you getting ready for Christmas? My town is and I have been excited about it for a while now. Now that is not normally me, it’s not my favourite time of year but I have written and posted cards and presents. Made Christmas cakes and mince pies. Have wrapped quite a lot of the presents I have bought. Yesterday I made a batch of apricot tarts to take for my friends manning the stall at the Christmas market today, in a village nearby, plus I made two jars of golden syrup to be used in cooking and on porridge when I can eat that again.
The Christmas display at the Hôtel de Ville includes an ice rink, it was opened by “Le Maire” on Friday evening along with the switch on of the lights. It wasn’t just children skating on there Mums and Dads we’re enjoying it too.
Great news, 10 radiotherapy sessions completed, only 7 more to go. I had a consultation with the doctor on oncology radiotherapy, he seemed happy with me and said that eating something before the treatment was doing what he had hoped. There will be another consultation next week.
I was at the hospital twice on Monday, once for treatment and once for a consultation with my oncologist. I asked about my diet after radiotherapy and to my relief he said that I can start to eat normally again. Was I relieved I can start to plan my Christmas meal.
Leaving home in the dark on a morning I quite often don’t take a lot of notice of the chauffeur. However, on Tuesday it was the man (Sebastien) who had driven me the previous Monday. He was full of cold a week ago but there was no sign of a cold this week. I was in a world of my own when he spoke up and said after my appointment with the doctor in radiography would I like to go to the cafe to drink coffee with him! Blimey me, was I being chatted up? Fortunately, due to the treatment I can’t eat or drink in a cafe or restaurant (just yet). I told him this and thanked him for asking me as normally a drink would have been appreciated. Relaying this to “The Daddy” he said it was like the time I was asked out for a coffee by a guy in the launderette in St Gilles Crois de Vie, I fobbed him off but days later (on a crowded beach) he found me again and invited me to the casino…… no thanks just wasn’t enough to stop his pestering but I didn’t go to the Casino either!
It’s been rather cold, no snow but a very heavy frost one day, consequently I haven’t seen any grues or cigognes, if they have any sense they will be somewhere warmer 😉.
Even more good news too, my hair is growing back 😁. I went to the hairdresser on Thursday to have the long hair, that hadn’t fallen out, cut and I am surprised at how much hair I actually have now (even though it’s short). This is the second time I have lost my hair due to treatment but at the end of the day it’s only hair, it will grow back.
This week it’s a slightly different meaning behind the music, two different songs with the same title. The first is back to 1968 it’s by Manfred Mann and the title is “Fox on the Run”. The second is by Sweet which was released in 1975. Memories of my holiday in Andernach Germany flood back, nights spent in the bar of what I feel sure was called “The Father Rhine” bar whose attraction for me was the large juke box with so many UK hits. I think we must have drummed up a lot of business for the bar as people heard the music and came inside to see what was going on. I do remember that our bill for drinks at the end of the evening was usually small as Monica (the barmaid) managed to add an extra drink to other people’s tabs, you had your beer mat marked when you got a drink. 😂 such fun times.
“The Daddy” my gorgeous grandchildren, “The Trainee Solicitor and “The Ex-Graduate” have been visiting their “London relatives” who arrived in sunny Scarborough only for it to snow like crazy and make travelling to and from a bit of a nightmare. Anyway duty has been done, for another year. I received photos of my grandchildren with their uncle, what wonderful photos they were too everyone looking so happy. I can’t wait to see everyone in the flesh, so to speak, and have big hugs.
Monique is still not well and thinks she has bronchitis again, her husband Jean Claude has Covid which I think she has carried to him. She had been helping an elderly neighbour who was ill and he was taken into hospital with Covid.
Maud sent a voice message, she is having problems with her family and feels sad that she hasn’t been to see me. I told her not to worry and that we would meet up in the New Year with a trip to “Le Belvedere” The restaurant at the lake, that she introduced me to.
Anie has less than two weeks now until she flies off to Indonesia for Christmas and New Year. Maybe I will see her before she goes.
Everyone has been or is going away, or so it seems to me. I messaged Pauline, she has been to Florence for a few days (boy does that girl get around!) of course she sent me some photos one included David, not her new boyfriend, but Michelangelo’s David.
So now it’s almost time for me to bring the car out of the garage and drive down to the Christmas Market. I will hopefully be making another two jars of golden syrup this afternoon (you can’t have too much of a good thing )😉.
The sun is shining but brrr it’s cold, currently -3c.
Until next time……..Bon dimanche!
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New's March 2023 hospitalization update (2 years after March 2021 hospitalization)
I'll try not to meander too much in this health update, but there is a lot to unpack, and some backstory to lay out first. (tldr will be at the end)
Recap: I have a lot of conditions but this is mostly about my ulcerative colitis (diagnosed 2011) and endometriosis (suspected/undiagnosed). Every 2-4 years I get a colonoscopy to check the disease progression because colon cancer also runs in my family. My colitis has always been considered "mild" and my colonoscopies generally don't look that bad despite me not taking colitis medication the past 12 years since dx. But I'm still having debilitating GI symptoms, especially in the past 2 years since I was hospitalized in 2021 for the worst flare-up of my life. While recovering, suddenly in June 2021, what I thought was a "spinal flare-up" increased my level of disability so much so that I can't really sit up for long now.
In 2022, while trying to get to the bottom of my "back pain" with another spinal MRI, I noticed that my left ovary was very obviously enlarged but that no one had marked it on the report.
In 2022 I had 129 appts which included many ultrasounds/CTs/MRIs and we learned many things: my ovary is in fact enlarged and likely full of blood, the lymph nodes around my colon are enlarged, and there's wall-thickening (lesion) on my colon. Even before the lesion was discovered my PCP was already pushing me to oncology because of my ovary, so I now do bloodwork every 3-4 months to check my blood for signs of cancer. This is important and I get why they're checking it, because my symptoms are also suspicious for lymphoma or leukemia, but I really don't think that's what's going on at all. Still, here I am with a cancer doctor who doesn't wear a mask at his appts when he has CHEMO PATIENTS IN THE OFFICE. Wtf.
While spending 2022 trying to access an endometriosis specialist, I've become more and more disabled. I'm at the point where I constantly have intense pelvic/back pain even when not on my period. I've had to go to the ER over it multiple times. I was only able to access a gynecological oncologist who "treats" endometriosis via full hysterectomy and ablation. She wanted to "burn" the endo lesions (not remove them, which would allow them to grow back in 4-6 mos), and completely remove my uterus and ovaries. I pointed out to her that neither of these things treat endo and her dumbass tried to argue the outdated reason why.
There are only a few hundred endo excision surgeons in the world who would be able to handle the kind of surgery I need, which will likely involve multiple of my organ systems if the endo has spread as much as suspected.
Moving forward, I knew I needed to get the lesion in my colon biopsied, so I also fought for a GI last year. Since then I've gone through 4 different GI docs because they're impossible to make appointments with. I even had a consult with one for my scope, but my insurance wasn't with his surgery center, so I couldn't do it.
RECAP OVER, PRESENTLY: My body has been going through it and I still needed that scope badly, so my PCP urged me to go to the ER and try to get admitted for scope again like I did back in 2021. This is what happens when insurance makes it impossible for us to access care: we have to force it at the ER.
I finally had the mental strength to do it, so I packed my bags and went on a Thursday morning.
I got to my usual hospital around 10:45am. To my surprise, they got me in really fast and the doctor I spoke to agreed that I needed to be admitted and scoped immediately. I didn't even have to fight for it for 12+ hrs withering away in an ER bed like last time. She saw my records, heard my story, and believed me. They did labwork and got me in quick for a CT scan which confirmed my ovary is still enlarged, but also that my kidneys are a little backed up (have known this) and my bladder wall is thickened. These all further point to endometriosis. At this stage, it's likely invading my ureters, bladder, and bowel, which is why I'd need such a specific kind of surgery to handle it.
Our first concern was a colonoscopy to biopsy the lesion first and rule out cancer, and possibly confirm endo since that would be obvious under the microscope. I knew it was going to be a rough time, with the liquid diet/prep/enema/etc, but I thought at least I'd be comfortable there with my own room to rest in like last time. I had packed everything I needed to stay sane. I thought maybe I'd be in the hospital 1-2 days max, since we knew exactly what needed to be done.
But it turns out my insurance is no longer contracted with my hospital, so they had to transfer me into the city, a 40 minute ambulance ride away. I waited 5 hours in the ER bed with no fluids, meds, or pain relief while they tried to get my transport ready. I really hated being strapped into the gurney, very uncomfortable. The paramedics were nice enough and helped to keep me distracted during the ride.
I was put in a room with 2 other patients, elderly women who shouted and aggressively prayed to Jesus while both their TV's blasted from 7pm to 5pm the next day. I didn't sleep because of the noise, but also becasue my first nurse sucked ass. She was so awkward and not understanding what I needed, and would only give me ketorolac for the pain and no morphine (bitch, why would I be hospitalized for you to give me the SAME MEDS I HAVE AT HOME THAT I JUST TOLD YOU BARELY HELP?)
In the morning, I had a much better day nurse who gave me morphine, fluids, and colitis meds (steroids, anti-inflammatory stuff). And both noisy patients got discharged by evening so I had a good solid couple of hours all by myself in the room. One of my new roomies ended up being pretty loud/oversimulating but still much better. I know we were all going through a lot and in pain but the shouting really freaks me out :(
I was also allowed to have a liquid diet at some point before that. I had gone a full 24hrs with no food or water because the whole point of this was to get scoped, but when I brought that up everyone acted confused and said it wasn't on my file or anything. I had been waiting for a GI consult the whole time, for a scope. Finally he came in and wouldn't listen to me, kept saying that my efforts at diet/supplements don't matter with colitis and that I just needed to be on meds/other immune suppressants. I had to interrupt him several times to get him to stfu and listen to what I was saying, that this is likely ENDO, not just colitis, but that I need this scope and biopsy done to rule out other things urgently. So he finally was like "ohhh, endometriosis would make a lot of sense" and agreed to scope me in the morning (Saturday).
So it became night 2 and I was started on the bowel prep. I didn't sleep, but thankfully had another good night nurse who kept my spirits up. Wouldn't be able to sleep much anyway since they were waking me every few hours for vitals, and at 4-5am to take more blood. My blood pressure and potassium kept both being low, which is a new thing for me.
Nurse came to bring my enema before sunrise and by 7:30 I was first in line in the scope surgery room. Weirdly probably the easiest colonoscopy I've ever had, I usually have a really rough time with the recovery. But I noticed when I woke up (and stopped rambling lol) that they had not only bundled me with blankets but put a tube of hot air under them with me. Because I had told them that I usually shiver really hard after being put under. I'm sure that helped me not feel like death after, I was so toasty. I also wasn't anxious beforehand. Usually the little pulse monitor is beeping so fast because I get so nervous, but honestly I think I was just super numbed out by that point.
Once I was coherent, the GI brought me a nice color print of my colon pics. And wouldn't you know it, my colon actually looks good, inflammation-wise. Still really minimal, a few visible ulcers here and there, but not terrible. Which means that every time a GI tells me "diet and supplements don't matter, you just need to be on meds/immune suppressants", they're full of shit. Clearly all of my hard work with smoothies, bone marrow, etc, works. If it didn't work, wouldn't my colitis be terrible after 12 years living with it, with almost no meds?
He saw no lesion (but still took plenty of biopsies), which means that the lesion is on the outside of my colon (hi, endo). He did show me another important piece of evidence: part of my colon is very visibly twisted, which makes so much sense. The pain, pressure, weeks-long constipation episodes, my decreasing ability to tolerate solids. The endo is likely scarring/gluing it into that position. More reason I need excision surgery, because they know how to restore the anatomy of the pelvic organs.
After the scope, I was feeling hopeful about getting home by that afternoon. But they wanted to do a CT scan to check my uterus again (even though I'd just had the same scan a few days ago). And because the radiology dpt was so backed up, I ended up being kept a whole extra day. Just because they wanted to know my results, which were "unremarkable" even though the one from a few days earlier noted all the other stuff I mentioned. I was pretty upset but just tried my best to stay distracted when I wasn't able to rest. Had a lot of sweats though, suddenly. Night nurse wouldn't give me my midnight morphine because of my low blood pressure, so I was pretty uncomfortable. Nurse also informed me that I have grade 2 hemorrhoids, which the GI failed to mention. KINDA IMPORTANT, DUDE. But makes sense, colon stuff, blah blah. Not really my main problem right now, though.
Finally got discharged in the late morning/early afternoon. Hardly remember the past day being home except for the epic 3 hour long bath routine I did lol.
The morning after, I went to pick up the colitis meds they'd been giving me only to find it's $174, so I didn't even get them. I make less than that in a day, and I'm barely working 3-5 days a month at this point. Sometimes a period of 3-6 weeks will go by where I can't/don't work. Also since the source of this pain is not the colitis, but the endo, why the hell am I gonna spend so much on medicine when I already see good results from bone marrow and everything else I do? I bet you if I didn't have endo, my colitis WOULD be as "mild" as every doctor says it is.
I'm glad I finally got all of that out of the way… but the truth of the matter is that I'm nowhere closer to getting the surgery I need I may now have a little more evidence pointing to endo, but none of that matters when I can't access the experts. The best endo surgeon in Los Angeles doesn't take insurance and just a consult with her is $1500+.
My only barriers are the American healthcare system and money. These two 100% fake made-up things are keeping me from living a better and longer life, and I'm expected to be positive through this all because "it could be worse" or whatever.
There is so much that makes me happy, that I'm so grateful for, that really makes it worthwhile for me to stay alive to experience. I'm genuinely still able to have fun, day to day. I make my own little bit of fun out of whatever I can. But I'm in so much pain. I've been disabled my entire adult life. I've never known anything else. I've been frozen here the entire time, just trying to make meaning and find happiness hidden underneath it all.
So what's next? There's nothing more to do, no other way to fight when it's just about money. The only thing in I can do right now is try as much as possible to eat stuff that won't clog my silly twisted part of the colon and cause more pain. I've already lost weight from this ordeal, but the bone marrow might help me get my calories in at least. I'm hopeful the testosterone therapy will reduce some of the endo inflammation, but the damage is done. Scarring like that requires surgery to fix. No amount of good diet, acupuncture, positive thinking can unglue my organs from each other.
I know this all could've been so much worse, but it was hard for me and making comparisons is useless. Thanks to everyone who messaged me, sent memes, etc. Kept me from losing my mind at the hospital. Now my pain level is back up and the medical PTSD is slapping, so I'm going to do my best to stay hunkered down this week.
TLDR;
Colitis patient, 12 years. Colonoscopy was a year past due, unidentified lesion in colon, family history of colon cancer. Suspected endometriosis. PCP told me to go to ER because it can't wait, worsening condition, weakness, pain.
ER did a CT: ovary cyst still there, and kidneys backing up/thickened bladder wall (more endo points). Got admitted but to a different hospital kind of far from home. Mostly a shit-show, very overstimulating and didn't get taken care of that great at first.
Got colonoscopy, colon is looking alright. Still "mild" colitis, which means my supplements/diet works and my GI docs are full of shit about meds being the only way (but you knew that.)
But: part of my colon is visibly twisted, possibly explaining a lot of my pain. This would be due to endo and the only treatment is surgery, which I can't access. Pointless to pay $174 for colitis meds when this pain is not my colitis, but endo messing with my colon/other pelvic organs.
Since I can't afford such an expensive surgery, there is nothing else for me to do in this fight.
Unless I get a windfall, all I can do is eat gentle and keep surviving this pain.
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What followed was the greatest crime against humanity in the history of the World - Let them prove me wrong!
Hedley Rees
Oct 31, 2024
Going to keep this short, but not sweet
There is no way to sweeten this bitter pill I am going to unveil for you here. The subtitle of this post opens the analysis:
“What followed was the greatest crime against humanity in the history of the World - Let them prove me wrong!”
It begins with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-Cell therapy (CAR-T). In 2014, FDA assigned CAR-T therapy 'breakthrough designation - drugs that have been granted breakthrough status are given priority review.
The first CAR -T therapy was approved by FDA just 3 years later, in 2017. Not quite working at the “speed of science,” but not far off. The brand name of the product was Kymriah, marketed by the Swiss giant Novartis. It was reported in Fierce Pharma:
Novartis, still struggling with Kymriah manufacturing, is providing some out-of-spec doses to patients who ask
“Novartis released some new data on CAR-T drug Kymriah this month that it hopes will improve the uptake of the drug. But Novartis also continues to wrestle with manufacturing issues that have kept some doses from meeting specifications, a problem that is also hampering Kymriah sales.”
“The drugmaker says it is working on a list of improvements to the process but acknowledges that some doses are still not meeting specifications, a problem that Liz Barrett, CEO of Novartis Oncology, outlined earlier this year to shareholders.”
Worrying side effects began to emerge
Along with the manufacturing issues, worrying side effects began to be reported. This is today’s Kymriah package insert. Side effects of Cytokine Release Syndrome and Neurological Toxicities…accompied by cancers…
I worked on the Kymriah supply chain in 2013
Kymriah uses a lentiviral vector to deliver gene modified cells into the patient. The drug substance is manufactured by Oxford BioMedica, based in Oxford, UK. I was an external consultant on the early-stage supply chain, which was still very much experimental, in a regulatory terrain that was still evolving and incredibly immature. That was in 2013.
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Meet Dr. Kamlesh Verma – The Best Cancer Specialist in Lucknow for Comprehensive Cancer Care
When faced with a cancer diagnosis, choosing the right specialist is crucial for effective and compassionate treatment. Dr. Kamlesh Verma, widely regarded as the best cancer specialist in Lucknow, stands out for his dedication to comprehensive cancer care and a patient-first approach. Known for his skill, extensive experience, and personalized approach to each patient's unique needs, Dr. Verma has earned the trust of patients and their families alike. This article takes a closer look at the qualities and practices that make Dr. Verma a leading choice in oncology.
Dr. Kamlesh Verma’s Background and Expertise
Dr. Kamlesh Verma’s expertise in oncology is the result of years of specialized education, training, and hands-on experience. His journey in the medical field began with rigorous academic training and advanced studies in oncology, including fellowships that deepened his understanding of cancer treatment methods. His expertise spans a variety of cancer types, including but not limited to breast, lung, gastrointestinal, prostate, and blood cancers.
With numerous successful cases, Dr. Verma has developed an impressive reputation for accurate diagnoses and effective treatment plans. He utilizes his deep understanding of oncology principles and best practices to provide evidence-based care tailored to the needs of each patient. This extensive background in cancer care helps ensure that his patients receive not only the most effective treatment options available but also a compassionate approach that prioritizes their well-being.
A Personalized Approach to Cancer Care
One of Dr. Verma's defining qualities is his commitment to personalized care. Cancer treatment is a journey, and each patient experiences it differently. Understanding this, Dr. Verma treats each patient as an individual with unique needs, fears, and expectations. From the initial consultation, he fosters an open and empathetic environment where patients feel comfortable discussing their concerns.
Dr. Verma takes time to understand his patients’ medical history, lifestyle, and treatment goals, which allows him to create customized treatment plans. This personalized approach enables him to align each treatment option with the patient's overall health and lifestyle, ensuring that it’s as effective and comfortable as possible. Dr. Verma believes that successful cancer treatment requires not only medical precision but also emotional and psychological support, which is why he prioritizes patient education and compassionate care.
Advanced Diagnostics and Precision Treatment
Accurate diagnosis is a critical first step in any cancer treatment plan. Dr. Kamlesh Verma is known for his meticulous approach to diagnostics. Using state-of-the-art technology, including advanced imaging techniques, blood tests, and biopsies, he ensures that each diagnosis is thorough and accurate. This precision allows him to create targeted treatment plans that address the specific characteristics of each cancer case.
In addition to accurate diagnosis, Dr. Verma stays updated on the latest advancements in cancer treatment. His practice includes advanced treatment options, such as minimally invasive surgeries, targeted therapies, and radiation techniques, which enable more effective results with reduced recovery times. This commitment to staying at the forefront of oncology means that his patients benefit from some of the most innovative treatments available.
Comprehensive Cancer Care with Holistic Support
Cancer treatment can be a challenging journey, both physically and emotionally. Dr. Verma understands this, which is why he provides holistic support that goes beyond just medical treatment. Recognizing the impact of a cancer diagnosis on patients and their families, Dr. Verma aims to address the emotional and psychological needs of his patients throughout their care journey.
From offering counseling resources to guiding patients on nutrition and lifestyle adjustments, Dr. Verma’s holistic approach focuses on enhancing the overall quality of life for his patients. His compassionate demeanor and willingness to listen make a meaningful difference, creating a supportive environment that helps patients feel more empowered and hopeful during their treatment journey.
Patient Education and Empowerment
One of Dr. Verma’s key priorities is patient education. He firmly believes that an informed patient is an empowered patient, capable of making decisions that align with their personal goals and values. Dr. Verma takes the time to explain each step of the treatment process, providing clear and concise information about diagnoses, treatment options, and potential outcomes.
This educational approach ensures that patients understand their condition and the rationale behind their treatment plan. Dr. Verma encourages open communication, answering questions and addressing any concerns patients may have. This collaborative approach fosters trust and reassurance, allowing patients to actively participate in their own care.
A Strong Emphasis on Follow-Up and Aftercare
Dr. Kamlesh Verma’s dedication to his patients doesn’t end when treatment concludes. He places a strong emphasis on follow-up and aftercare, understanding that cancer recovery extends beyond the initial treatment phase. His follow-up protocols include regular check-ups to monitor patients' progress, manage any side effects, and address potential concerns.
By staying connected with his patients post-treatment, Dr. Verma ensures a continuum of care that promotes long-term recovery and quality of life. This dedication to ongoing support strengthens his bond with patients, fostering a sense of security and trust that extends well beyond the initial treatment.
Community Involvement and Cancer Awareness Initiatives
Dr. Kamlesh Verma is also an advocate for cancer awareness in the Lucknow community. He actively participates in health camps, seminars, and awareness campaigns to educate the public on the importance of early detection and preventive measures. His goal is to empower people with knowledge, helping them make informed decisions that may reduce the risk of cancer and lead to earlier diagnoses.
Dr. Verma’s commitment to community outreach reflects his dedication to fighting cancer on a larger scale. By raising awareness and educating the public, he plays an important role in fostering a proactive approach to cancer prevention and early intervention in Lucknow.
Building Trust through Compassionate Care
Dr. Verma’s compassionate approach is one of the key reasons he has gained the trust of so many patients. He recognizes that a cancer diagnosis is a life-altering event, and he is committed to providing a safe, supportive space where patients feel heard and respected. His empathetic approach has earned him a reputation for not only being an expert oncologist but also a compassionate caregiver.
From the very first consultation, Dr. Verma makes an effort to connect with his patients on a personal level, reassuring them that they are not alone in their journey. His compassion and genuine concern for his patients’ well-being create an environment that is both comforting and empowering, helping patients face their challenges with greater resilience.
Why Dr. Kamlesh Verma is the Best Cancer Specialist in Lucknow
Dr. Kamlesh Verma’s combination of expertise, dedication, and compassion make him the top choice for cancer care in Lucknow. His personalized approach ensures that each patient receives treatment that aligns with their unique needs and preferences, while his advanced skills and up-to-date knowledge guarantee that they have access to the most effective treatment options available.
Dr. Verma’s commitment to holistic support, patient education, and post-treatment care further distinguishes him as an exceptional cancer specialist. He understands that cancer treatment is a journey, and he walks that journey alongside his patients, providing unwavering support at every stage.
Conclusion
Choosing the right cancer specialist can make a significant difference in a patient’s experience and outcomes. Dr. Kamlesh Verma, recognized as the best cancer specialist in Lucknow, provides comprehensive cancer care with a focus on personalized treatment, accurate diagnostics, and compassionate support. His commitment to both medical excellence and patient-centered care has made him a trusted name in oncology.
For those in Lucknow seeking expert cancer care that prioritizes their well-being, Dr. Kamlesh Verma offers a reliable, compassionate choice. With a blend of expertise and empathy, he empowers patients and their families to navigate their cancer journey with confidence and hope.
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PCOD/PCOS Treatment in Jagatpura, Jaipur by Dr. Chandrakanta Sulaniya
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and Polycystic Ovary Disease (PCOD) are common hormonal disorders affecting many women today. If you’re seeking effective treatment in Jagatpura, Jaipur, look no further than Dr. Chandrakanta Sulaniya at the Gynae-Oncology Center. With her extensive experience and dedication, she is recognized as one of the best gynaecologist doctors in Jagatpura, Jaipur.
Understanding PCOD/PCOS
PCOS is characterized by hormonal imbalances that can lead to irregular periods, weight gain, and difficulties with fertility. PCOD, while similar, often refers to the presence of multiple cysts on the ovaries. Early diagnosis and tailored treatment plans are crucial in managing these conditions effectively.
Treatment Options
Dr. Chandrakanta Sulaniya offers a comprehensive approach to PCOD/PCOS treatment in Jagatpura, Jaipur. Her expertise in gynaecological surgeries in Jagatpura, Jaipur ensures that patients receive personalized care. Treatments may include:
Lifestyle Modifications: Diet and exercise recommendations tailored to individual needs.
Medications: Hormonal therapies to regulate menstrual cycles and manage symptoms.
Surgical Options: For severe cases, surgical intervention may be necessary.
Why Choose Dr. Chandrakanta Sulaniya?
As a leading cancer doctor in Jagatpura, Jaipur, Dr. Sulaniya combines her skills in gynaecology with an emphasis on oncological health. Her holistic approach makes her a trusted choice for many women. She is not only known for her expertise in gynaecological surgeries but also for her compassionate care in handling high-risk pregnancies. Patients searching for a gynaecologist near me will find her clinic easily accessible in Jagatpura.
Specialized Care for Women
Dr. Sulaniya’s focus extends beyond PCOD/PCOS. She also provides:
High-Risk Pregnancy Treatment in Jagatpura, Jaipur: Ensuring safe and healthy pregnancies for women facing challenges.
Best Maternity Care: Recognized as the best maternity doctor in Jagatpura, Jaipur, she supports women through all stages of pregnancy.
Gynaecological Cancer Treatment: As a prominent gynaecologist doctor in Jagatpura, Jaipur, she offers specialized care for women facing gynaecological cancers.
Conclusion
If you are looking for the best female doctor in Jagatpura, Jaipur, Dr. Chandrakanta Sulaniya is your go-to expert for PCOD/PCOS treatment and other women’s health issues. Her commitment to patient care, combined with her extensive knowledge, makes her a leading choice for women seeking health solutions in Jagatpura.
For a consultation, contact the Gynae-Oncology Center today and take the first step towards better health!
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Optimum Health Care - Your Destination for Advanced Surgery, Treatments, and Online Bookings
In today's fast-paced world, access to top-tier medical care is essential. Optimum Health Care stands out as a leader in offering state-of-the-art surgical procedures, specialised treatments, and a user-friendly online booking system. We aim to make high-quality healthcare accessible and convenient for everyone.
Advanced Surgery and Specialized Treatments
Optimum Health is equipped with the latest medical technologies and a team of highly skilled surgeons who are experts in their fields. We provide a wide range of advanced surgical procedures, from minimally invasive surgeries to complex operations. Our focus is on patient-centered care, ensuring safety, comfort, and the best possible outcomes.
Our specialized treatments cover a variety of medical conditions, ensuring that patients receive the precise care they need. Whether it's cardiology, orthopedics, neurology, or oncology, Optimum Health offers comprehensive treatment options tailored to meet individual needs. Our specialists are dedicated to providing personalized care, ensuring that every patient is guided through their healthcare journey with expertise and compassion.
Seamless Online Booking Experience
At Optimum Healthcare, we understand that time is of the essence when it comes to healthcare. That's why we offer an intuitive online booking platform, allowing patients to schedule appointments, consultations, and follow-ups from the comfort of their homes. With just a few clicks, you can select your preferred specialist, choose a convenient time slot, and secure your appointment without the need for lengthy phone calls or waiting periods.
Our online booking system is designed with patient convenience in mind, offering features such as appointment reminders and easy rescheduling options. This digital approach ensures a seamless experience, giving patients the freedom to focus on their health without the stress of managing appointments.
Why Choose Optimum?
Cutting-edge Facilities: Our hospital is equipped with modern infrastructure and state-of-the-art technology, ensuring precision and efficiency in every procedure.
Experienced Specialists: With a team of board-certified doctors and surgeons, patients can trust that they are in expert hands.
Personalized Care: We believe that every patient is unique, and our approach to treatment reflects this. Our specialists work closely with patients to develop tailored treatment plans that suit their specific needs.
Convenient Access: With our online booking system and telemedicine services, accessing top-notch healthcare has never been easier.
Your Health, Our Priority
Optimum is committed to providing the best possible care for patients, whether they need routine check-ups or advanced medical treatments. Our focus on patient well-being, combined with our dedication to innovation, makes us a trusted name in the healthcare industry. By choosing an Optimum Healthcare Provider, you're not only opting for high-quality care but also for a healthcare experience that prioritizes your comfort and peace of mind.
Discover a new level of medical care with Optimum Healthcare Provider—your destination for advanced surgery, specialized treatments, and a hassle-free booking experience. Book your appointment today and take the first step towards a healthier, happier life.
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Breast Cancer: Symptoms, Treatment, and Finding the Best Oncologist in Jaipur
Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers affecting women worldwide. Early detection, timely diagnosis, and proper treatment are essential for improving survival rates and outcomes. In this blog, we will delve into the symptoms of breast cancer, discuss treatment options, and explore how to find the best oncologist in Jaipur and the best cancer surgeon in Jaipur for your care.
What is Breast Cancer?
Breast cancer occurs when abnormal cells in the breast tissue grow uncontrollably, forming a lump or tumor. This type of cancer can affect both men and women, though it is far more common in women. Breast cancer typically originates in the ducts or lobules of the breast and can spread to other parts of the body if not treated early.
Common Symptoms of Breast Cancer
Awareness of the symptoms can aid in early detection. Some common signs of breast cancer include:
A new lump or mass in the breast or armpit
Swelling or thickening in part of the breast
Irritation or dimpling of the breast skin
Pain in the breast or nipple area
Nipple discharge (other than breast milk)
Changes in the size, shape, or appearance of the breast
If you notice any of these signs, it’s crucial to consult with a healthcare professional immediately.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Breast Cancer
Diagnosis typically begins with imaging tests like mammograms or ultrasounds, followed by a biopsy to confirm if the lump is cancerous. Once diagnosed, the treatment options vary based on the stage and type of breast cancer. Here are the most common treatments:
Surgery: Removing the tumor is often the first line of defense. Depending on the size and location, a lumpectomy (removing the tumor) or mastectomy (removing the entire breast) may be recommended. Choosing the best cancer surgeon in Jaipur is crucial for ensuring successful outcomes.
Radiation Therapy: High-energy rays are used to target and kill cancer cells, often used after surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells.
Chemotherapy: This involves the use of drugs to destroy or inhibit the growth of cancer cells. It may be administered before or after surgery, depending on the case.
Hormone Therapy: If the breast cancer is hormone receptor-positive, hormone therapy can help block the body’s production of estrogen or progesterone, which may slow or stop cancer growth.
Targeted Therapy: Some treatments specifically target cancer cells while sparing normal cells, improving precision in treatment and reducing side effects.
Why Finding the Best Oncologist in Jaipur Matters
Selecting the right oncologist and cancer surgeon is a key part of your cancer care journey. A specialized oncologist not only provides expert diagnosis but also develops a personalized treatment plan based on your specific condition. The best oncologist in Jaipur will guide you through each stage of your treatment, ensuring that you receive the best medical care, compassion, and support.
Here are a few qualities to look for when choosing an oncologist or cancer surgeon:
Experience: Look for specialists with a strong track record in treating breast cancer.
Credentials: Ensure that the doctor is board-certified and well-versed in the latest treatment protocols.
Patient Testimonials: Reading reviews or talking to other patients can offer valuable insights.
Comprehensive Care: It’s important to choose a hospital or clinic that offers a multidisciplinary approach, where oncologists, surgeons, and other healthcare professionals collaborate to provide the best possible care.
Where to Find the Best Cancer Surgeons in Jaipur
If you're looking for advanced cancer care, Jaipur is home to several well-established oncology centers and hospitals. These facilities are equipped with state-of-the-art technology, modern surgical techniques, and experienced oncologists. Hospitals like Vyas Hospital & Andro-Genta Clinics, among others, offer excellent cancer treatment services, combining cutting-edge technology with compassionate patient care.
Consulting with the best cancer surgeon in Jaipur ensures that you receive the best treatment options, including minimally invasive surgeries and personalized treatment plans tailored to your unique situation.
Conclusion
Breast cancer can be a daunting diagnosis, but with early detection and access to expert care, the outcomes can be favorable. Whether you are seeking the best oncologist in Jaipur or the best cancer surgeon in Jaipur, choosing the right professionals plays a pivotal role in your recovery journey. Stay informed, trust in the expertise of your medical team, and never hesitate to ask questions as you navigate your treatment.
For those in Jaipur, excellent cancer care is accessible and offers hope for a brighter future with the right medical team by your side.
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