8. Why Can't A Girl Get A Date?
After our first trip to the Breast Clinic and meeting with the surgeon, we were looking forward to Easter. It meant some time to catch our breath, think things through and coming to terms with what lay ahead. That week leading into Easter had been manic. My Mum had eye surgery and had to have a follow up appointment the next day, I had to work full time and also had a dentist appointment thrown in for good measure. The week ended with meeting the surgeon.
Easter was very relaxing and included a Traditional Chinese Medicine treatment – very much appreciated after the hectic previous week. We couldn’t wait for our holiday to come.
We went to Noosa in Queensland and had a wonderful week. We have had a number of holidays there and always enjoy the relaxed feel of the place and the warm climate. We stayed in a small quiet block of apartments near the top of the boardwalk. We walked down the boardwalk to the beach early each morning as soon as we woke and had a swim before the crowds and families descended. We would have a cold shower at the surf club and then head to a favourite cafe for breakfast. Days were spent relaxing, reading, walking and working out what to eat for dinner. And of course, having the daily gelati! Sometimes dinner was as simple as a hamburger or fish and chips sitting by the river as the sun set. I had a number of walks into the National Park, enjoying the views across the sweep of coast and walking through the thick tropical bush, being careful not to trip over tree roots and vines. Listening to many of the birdcalls and watching out for monitor lizards was all part of the exploration. We only had one afternoon swim and went to Little Cove – a gorgeous small beach around from the main beach. We swam with fish and were surprised at the size of them and how bold they were. It was a much needed break and we were so grateful for it.
I emailed the clinic while we were away to try and get a surgery date. A letter had arrived at home advising me of pre-admission clinic in early May. I still had no surgery date and the breast care nurse emailed and said it would be May 13th. I was frustrated as the hospital’s practice is to have my grade cancer operated on within 30 days. It seemed this wasn’t going to be the case and was very disheartening.
The week after we returned from our holiday was the most frustrating week I’ve every had. I rang the bookings office at the hospital asking about my surgery date. I only got an answering machine which promised to ring me back as soon as possible. I rang every day, sometimes twice a day. I was polite in the messages I left. By the middle of the week I was still polite, but firm. By the Friday I was desperate. I decided to play the ‘cancer card’.
I left a message: ‘I’m ringing again about my surgery date. It’s bad enough finding out you have cancer, but to not hear anything from the team that are meant to be supporting me is very hard. Can someone please call me and let me know what is going on’.
They rang back, while I was away from my mobile and didn’t leave a message. I’d never felt so helpless in all my life.
Late Friday afternoon I received a call telling me my surgery would be Friday 4th May – FINALLY! I almost cried with relief. We now had a plan and could move forward and let family know what was happening.
Monday, two days before pre-admission clinic, it all started happening. I had a phone call from the booking office at another hospital confirming my date as May 4th. Apparently the booking system had just changed and they are all done through a central hospital now. I seemed to have fallen through the cracks. My phone rang again. It was the breast care nurse checking on me and seeing how I was. She apologized as well for the mess up. I was just relieved that I had a date and it was all going to happen soon. I felt like ‘my team’ had kicked in and were working with me and for me. I was also pleased on a personal level. This meant I had the goal of walking in the Mother’s Day Classic – nine days after my surgery. This was very important to me.