The Prescription is Lemon Drops

Ok. Where was I?

Thursday was a day off from testing. I knew results would be in Friday. 

Friday

Elizabeth and her best friend from childhood, Mary, and I are in the doctor’s office at the walk-in clinic, awaiting the doctor. 

He is an elderly Vietnamese man and, as Eliz will later imitate me, on reflection, I kind of set him up for what would follow. 

I had already determined it was metastatic breast cancer from eyeballing the ultrasound on Monday, so what was to follow was no surprise whatsoever to Elizabeth and me. Mary, however, was very taken aback.

I made sure to get a referral ...well let me tell you the way Liz recounted it later to me:

(High squeaky, polite, arch voice) “Um well I have this little bump on my left finger that I think is a bone spur? And um, I would like a referral to the kind of doctor that removes bone spurs? And um, I have this widdle pwoblem with my left knee? Like I had an ACL reconstruction there so there is like this arthritis pain? And um, like I heard I need a referral from you? Cos, like there is this Dr. Kabir who can inject fake cartilidge into my knee with a needle?”

The doctor is writing all this down.

“Oh and can u re-up my anti-anxiety meds? And um, oh, can you please check a biopsy report?”

After a lot of phoning around and fax wrangling, the doctor receives the report, studies it, and reenters the examining room in tears.

He is wiping his ancient eyes, removing his glasses, openly weeping, while we sit staring at him.

“I am afraid I do not have good news. Your MRI and biopsy have revealed a very advanced breast cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes in your right armpit.”

He has to stop twice to wipe his tears.

After he leaves, Liz pops out and returns, to whisper, “He is still crying!! He is sitting crying at his desk!”

I gave him a warm hug. What a sweetie. See? Walk in clinics aren’t that heartless after all!!

After we leave I phone my husband and tell him to come down to the clinic. He can find us in the bar next door to it. I order a bunch of lemon drop shots while Liza phones our siblings. If there was ever a time to drink, this is it.