looking for a patient, Doctor?”
“Yes, has Mrs. Cook already been taken in for her treatment?”
The young Hispanic gal behind the glass smiled and said, “You must be Emily. She asked about you and seemed anxious to see you. Mr. and Mrs. Cook are in the treatment room, but Dr. Navarro has not yet arrived to begin the procedure. Come on back. I’ll show you where they are.”
Sarah smiled wanly as Emily entered the room. “I’m so glad you came, Emily,” she said softly.
Emily forced a smile of her own as she moved to the bedside and grasped Sarah’s outstretched hand.
Just then the door swung open and a forty-something-year-old Hispanic man with a white smock and a stethoscope rushed in. Two nurses, one in blue scrubs, one in green, flanked him and moved quickly to either side of the bed and began checking things. Dr. Navarro was polite, but reserved. Kind, but quiet. And, apparently, in a hurry. He nodded toward Emily and Henry as he entered and thanked them both for coming, then turned his full focus toward his patient.
“Hello again, Mrs. Cook. How are you feeling today?” After listening to her assessment of her condition, Dr. Navarro looked at Emily and Henry and thanked them again for being there to support Sarah. “Beating cancer, we find, is as much an emotional response to the treatment as it is physical. Having loved ones rally around our patients, we’ve noticed over time, can be as much a determining factor as catching the cancer in its earliest stages. Thank you for coming.” He and the nurses exchanged data and reviewed the procedures.
Dr. Navarro consulted his tablet computer, tapping and swiping at the screen a few times until he came to the page he wanted. “I’m pleased to tell you your blood work looks good. Just what we had hoped for. The T-cell levels are not growing, or at least not like they were. It appears the first two treatments have radically reduced their growth rate, which is exactly what we want.” He issued instructions to the nurses. They began pinching tubes and opening color-coded syringes and laying them on a metal tray next to Sarah’s bed. The doctor checked the labels, then read something on his tablet and made some notes by tapping on the screen with dancing fingers. Satisfied, he set his tablet down and took up a syringe, flicked it twice, squirted a couple of drops out, then pulled back the layers of blankets and asked Sarah if he could untie one of the strings on her gown. Emily turned away. She could inject rats, but couldn’t watch a needle go into a human.
“You’re going to feel a sharp prick here, just under your left breast. There may be a slight burning sensation that accompanies the injection, but it won’t last long.”
Sarah gasped, held her breath a moment, then exhaled unsteadily. The nurses began injecting the other syringes into the tubes below the IV bag that led to a vein in her arm.
“There. That does it. Now, just relax and rest for a while. We’ll let this IV bag and the medicines in it empty. There’s also a sedative and pain killer in the IV lines now. They should help you rest comfortably. We’ll come back and check on you in about two hours.” Dr. Navarro made a few additional notes in his tablet. “Mrs. Cook, this will be much the same as last time. I would expect your reaction, symptoms-wise, to be very similar. There is a good chance, however, that the effects of the treatments will produce a cumulative effect, meaning you may experience an increased amount of lethargy and bloating. This is normal and to be expected. Get plenty of rest and drink lots of clear liquids in the days to come. I’ll bring a prescription for the pain and nausea when I return.” He nodded politely and excused himself from the room. The nurses followed.
Henry moved to the side of the bed and held his wife’s hand. Within minutes, she drifted off to sleep, a peaceful smile on her face. “Have you got a minute to talk, Emily?” he asked
“Yes, has Mrs. Cook already been taken in for her treatment?”
The young Hispanic gal behind the glass smiled and said, “You must be Emily. She asked about you and seemed anxious to see you. Mr. and Mrs. Cook are in the treatment room, but Dr. Navarro has not yet arrived to begin the procedure. Come on back. I’ll show you where they are.”
Sarah smiled wanly as Emily entered the room. “I’m so glad you came, Emily,” she said softly.
Emily forced a smile of her own as she moved to the bedside and grasped Sarah’s outstretched hand.
Just then the door swung open and a forty-something-year-old Hispanic man with a white smock and a stethoscope rushed in. Two nurses, one in blue scrubs, one in green, flanked him and moved quickly to either side of the bed and began checking things. Dr. Navarro was polite, but reserved. Kind, but quiet. And, apparently, in a hurry. He nodded toward Emily and Henry as he entered and thanked them both for coming, then turned his full focus toward his patient.
“Hello again, Mrs. Cook. How are you feeling today?” After listening to her assessment of her condition, Dr. Navarro looked at Emily and Henry and thanked them again for being there to support Sarah. “Beating cancer, we find, is as much an emotional response to the treatment as it is physical. Having loved ones rally around our patients, we’ve noticed over time, can be as much a determining factor as catching the cancer in its earliest stages. Thank you for coming.” He and the nurses exchanged data and reviewed the procedures.
Dr. Navarro consulted his tablet computer, tapping and swiping at the screen a few times until he came to the page he wanted. “I’m pleased to tell you your blood work looks good. Just what we had hoped for. The T-cell levels are not growing, or at least not like they were. It appears the first two treatments have radically reduced their growth rate, which is exactly what we want.” He issued instructions to the nurses. They began pinching tubes and opening color-coded syringes and laying them on a metal tray next to Sarah’s bed. The doctor checked the labels, then read something on his tablet and made some notes by tapping on the screen with dancing fingers. Satisfied, he set his tablet down and took up a syringe, flicked it twice, squirted a couple of drops out, then pulled back the layers of blankets and asked Sarah if he could untie one of the strings on her gown. Emily turned away. She could inject rats, but couldn’t watch a needle go into a human.
“You’re going to feel a sharp prick here, just under your left breast. There may be a slight burning sensation that accompanies the injection, but it won’t last long.”
Sarah gasped, held her breath a moment, then exhaled unsteadily. The nurses began injecting the other syringes into the tubes below the IV bag that led to a vein in her arm.
“There. That does it. Now, just relax and rest for a while. We’ll let this IV bag and the medicines in it empty. There’s also a sedative and pain killer in the IV lines now. They should help you rest comfortably. We’ll come back and check on you in about two hours.” Dr. Navarro made a few additional notes in his tablet. “Mrs. Cook, this will be much the same as last time. I would expect your reaction, symptoms-wise, to be very similar. There is a good chance, however, that the effects of the treatments will produce a cumulative effect, meaning you may experience an increased amount of lethargy and bloating. This is normal and to be expected. Get plenty of rest and drink lots of clear liquids in the days to come. I’ll bring a prescription for the pain and nausea when I return.” He nodded politely and excused himself from the room. The nurses followed.
Henry moved to the side of the bed and held his wife’s hand. Within minutes, she drifted off to sleep, a peaceful smile on her face. “Have you got a minute to talk, Emily?” he asked
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