HSG Part I (Hysterosalpingogram)
July 17th 34.92
July 31st 19.51
Aug 14th 34.39
Aug 28th 17.96
It appears that the CA-125 value coincides with my menstrual cycle without a glitch. I finally got to ask the question that I’ve wanted to ask for many months now, “Does that mean we should consider taking the catheter out?” My voice was almost shaky when I asked him. “If you’re still worried, we could wait for a couple of months.” Oh, how typical! He never gives a straight answer. “Well, you’re the doctor. Do you think we can take it out now?” I pushed. I looked into his tired eyes searching for an answer, but he looked over my shoulder.
A woman was standing behind me with her head extended clutching a box of moon cakes. “Dr. Liu. Hi!” Her smile was timid and her voice was small. Her eyes met mine when I turned around. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It’ll only take a second. I hope you don’t mind.” Dr. Liu stood up to receive the box of moon cakes. “Happy Mid-Autumn Festival and thank you so much.” She said cheerfully. “Everything’s fine?” He enquired. “Yes! Yes! _____’s much better now.” (The third person singular subjects in Chinese sound all the same, so there was no way for me to know if she meant he, she, or it).
While this polite exchange of greeting was going on, my mind was racing, “I should’ve brought him something for Moon Fest! How could I have forgotten? I’m so clueless at this ‘building relations’ thing. But then again, if I were him, I’d probably appreciate it when people didn’t give me things. Maybe a card would be nice. Bill and I could both sign it and …..”
“Want some moon cakes?” When I regained focus, I was staring at the box of moon cakes.
“You shouldn’t do that, doctor.” the nurse scolded him. “That patient brought them for you. You can’t give them to another patient.”
“After she gave them to me, they’re mine. Therefore I can give them to whoever I please.” He looked at me, “Remember to take them home with you leave. I’m sure Bill will like them. Where is Bill? How come he didn’t come with you today?”
“He’s working.” I pushed the piece of paper with my CA-125 values on toward him. “Dr. Liu, does this mean I can go ahead and take the catheter out?”
He tore another piece of paper from his note pad and scribbled something on it. Then he put that piece of paper in front of me. “Call a cardiovascular surgeon and make an appointment for surgery. You don’t need to find the same surgeon who put it in for you. Any cardiovascular surgeon would do.”
How could he be so calm? Doesn't he know how significant this is? No matter how slim the possibility it is, the catheter is an indication that I might be put on chemotherapy any moment. Physically it's just a small tube that leads to my vein; psychologically it casts a shadow from the fear that cancer may return sooner than we desire.
I got the green light !! Dramatic as it may seem, I started to feel that I can fully and truly be myself again.
“What’s that?” My muscles tensed up. Abbreviations of medical terms tend to do that to me nowadays.
“It’s a kind of x-ray to see if your uterus and fallopian tube are functioning normally.”
“An x-ray?!” I scuffed at the tension I felt earlier. “It’s nothing.”
“I’ll give you some pain killers and antibiotics.” He made two selections of medicine on his computer.
“What do I need pain killers for? It’s an x-ray, right?” The tension returned.
“Well, it’s a vaginal x-ray. The pain killers may help relief any pain you might experience during the procedure. You might bleed a little afterward, and you’ll have to be on antibiotics for a couple of days.”
“Oh~~” I sounded like I understood, but in fact I meant “That’s no fun.”
It was as if he saw the transcripts of my concerns on my forehead. “The HSG is a very simple procedure. If there is abnormality or blockage in your fallopian tube, we’ll be able to see it on the monitor and treat it right away. It’s only a part of the process to make sure everything is functioning okay in your tummy. You do want children one of these days, don't you?!”
“What about having a second look surgery like you mentioned last time?”
“These are two different procedures, and they serve different purposes. A second abdominal surgery allows us to go in and take a good look at everything, particularly that cyst in your left ovary. However, we won’t be able to tell if your fallopian tube is blocked. That’s what an HSG will be able to tell us.”
My head was filled with medical information after I left the doctor's office. After paying, I gotta go to Radiology to make an appointment. Then pick up the meds at the pharmacy. Must remember to check out the list of cardiovascular surgeons on the hospital website tonight! The bus ride home was a blur. I remember debating whether to get a haircut today. Then I decided to wait till tomorrow.
Ah! I forgot the moon cakes too!
Hey Kate! Wow! That's the best news ever! The doc is sounding really positive! So let me know the date you get the catheter out, so we can celebrate. Is the doc still planning to even do the second look surgery then? That's the only part I wasn't sure of in your blog. Great, great, news! Have a great day! I'll be thinking of you.
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