Almost every waking minute since yesterday's phone call I'd been mentally rehearsing how to deal with the Professor's Evil Plan for World Patient Domination.
Today we arrived at the Outpatient Clinic ten minutes before my appointed time-slot. Predictably, clinic was running late (50 minutes) but by closing time at 5p.m. we were down to two patients and two consultants - the Evil Professor and the Nice Doctor. Against all expectations, the Nice Doctor called me in.
All plans for forming a Patient Resistance Cell went out of the window... the Nice Doctor explained how I had now almost fully recovered from FLAG-IDA cycle 1 and that my blood and marrow results looked good enough for remission to be declared. Facts and figures flowed freely and I didn't have to ask for anything - this doc knows me well. With a cheeky smile she asked me what I thought of the Professor's evil plan to admit me tomorrow but she already knew how I would respond. We have agreed that I'm to be readmitted for cycle 2 on Thursday 28th after attending Day Ward for a subcut injection of GCSF the day before.
It's a sensible plan that suits all of us - no rushing around, a chance for me to visit my Dad (due to my neutropenia I'd not been allowed to see him since before he was admitted to the same hospital a month or so ago for major abdominal surgery), and more time to regain some of those lost pounds (so more King Prawn Chow Mein with Dim Sum). People-skills - this woman has them in spades. She was so kind that she used those skills to get me a short-notice PICC-line dressing change so that I wouldn't have to waste half of tomorrow!
On the way out we had to walk past the Prof. who was loitering at the reception desk, probably lying in wait for me. I greeted her with a friendly "good afternoon" and got the same response. Wearing her "put on for the patient" smile she asked if I would be coming in tomorrow as per her evil plan. I looked her in the eye, said a polite "no", and we kept walking as her smile evaporated.
All in all, it has been a much better day than I had been expecting.
So pleased that you saw the nice doctor and not the evil professor....That obviously changed the whole tone of the day for you....
@Trevor Woodford - Indeed it did, Trevor. It has made a huge difference to my mood. I'm no longer pacing the floor uttering expletives as if I had Coprolalia.
The Nice Doctor knows the score - she knows that there are quite a few patients who don't like being seen by the Evil Professor, and she tries to intercept every one of them. It's above and beyond the call of duty. The good thing is that she often has a student/junior doc in clinic with her, so her "patient-centred" ethos is passed down to the next generation of lifesavers.
I do hope that she's scheduled to do the ward-rounds for the next few weeks.