Waiting on Test Results

It seems to me that waiting on test results, whether academic, related to employment, or medical, is one of the most stressful events to confront human beings. I am particularly averse to both medical tests and waiting on the results of medical tests.

I feel, on the one hand, that no news is good news. Surely if some horrific findings came to light as a result of the tests the doctor would contact me immediately. Experience has proven that this is not the case. Many doctors want to delay contacting their patients in the event of horrible news. Why call on Friday and ruin the weekend when Monday will do just as well and allow the patient to have one last nice weekend?

My late wife, the picture of good health and only 49 years old, agreed to come with me to my doctor where we were both scheduled for physical exams. She was 5 ft 7 in and weighed 122 pounds. She was running three miles per day on the tred mill I had purchased for her as a Christmas present.

We arrived the first week in February for our exams. I was examined, and then she was examined next. We both underwent the usual blood chemistry studies and Xrays. One week later she was diagnosed with cancer. After 18 months of chemotherapy and radiation my wife died. Medical science could not save her. It had not saved her mother, or 2 of her Aunts, or 3 of her uncles. It merely held the inevitable at bay for a few miserable months.

My wife's brother, my brother-in-law, was diagnosed with cancer in June of 2009. He too has undergone all the tests, the chemotherapy, and the radiation treatments. He underwent a CT scan to discover how well the treatments have worked last week. He is to obtain the results tomorrow.

I cannot know exactly what he might be thinking on this night. It is after midnight, but I imagine he is still awake. He is 66 years old. What must he be thinking?

I am 63 years old. I have not had a physical exam in 8 years. I have no faith that medical science could cure me if they found a problem with my health. Stupid, you say. I should have a colonopscopy, my annual PSA tests, my annual chest Xray, all the blood chemistries. The early bird avoids the worm in this case. You may be correct; however, one thing I know is that if you go to enough doctors they will in fact find something wrong with your health. I also know that the attempted cure can sometimes be worse than the disease.

My wife had stage 4 cancer when it was found, even though she had no symptoms. She had no real hope of survival. Her last 18 months of life were spent in misery, pain, nausea and more pain. If she had known she would have opted for quality rather than quantity of life.

My brother-in-law is no doubt awake at this late hour as he prepares to confront his test results. I too am awake, thinking of all the test results I have waited on in the past and hoping for better news this time.

Comments

[John Erich]

Thanks Jimmie, I too hope my father will spend more quality time with me and his grandchildren. Sometimes I feel hope gives us an unrealistic sense of comfort that would otherwise push us to enjoy every minute of our life.