Human Error... Whew!

Had my (rushed) oncology appointment this morning. Seems the call I received from the Quebec hospital about the SCT (stem cell treatment) was due to a clerical error. Several myeloma patients were called and unnecessarily worried, but this is a minor human error.

This did give me an opportunity to discuss my latest results, and my myloma remains indolent and very stable. There were a few fluctuations with some numbers so additional tests may be ordered as a precaution, but overall, this is a huge relief.

A turn?

Before I get into this post, let me say that due to stable blood tests, my oncologist (really an internal medicine specialist) said my blood tests would be at 2 month intervals, and it would be 6 months before he would meet with me again. So, I had blood tests done in February and April, with my next oncology appointment in July. Last Friday I met with my family doctor and asked about my recent blood tests. Everything was fine, but my last beta-2 microglobulin levels were at 168 mol/L and that 175 was the true indicator the disease was progressing and that treatment would be considered. Before that, they were 185 mol/L, so I felt pretty comfortable that everything was going fine. Then the phone rang.

About a year ago, my oncologist said he would refer me to a Quebec hospital for a high-dose chemo and stem cell treatment should my levels increase. Today someone from the hospital called about getting me on a waiting list. When I asked for what exactly (procedure or consultation), and that my local hospital had not mentioned anything about my disease progressing, the person on the phone said they would have to speak with the Quebec doctor to confirm the reason. I asked for her to call back to confirm the reason, but she said she would only call if necessary. As if living with cancer wasn't enough of a frickin' cliffhanger.

I called my local hospital's oncology unit, and of course, got the answering machine stating their office was closed at 4:00, even though it was 3:55. So, tomorrow I call to get some more info to get to the bottom of this. Here's what sucks however... my wife has won a gift certificate for a trip, and we chose Vegas - booked for July. Should this call be for the chemo & stem cell party, our trip insurance won't cover the $3k amount of the gift certificate thanks to a pre-existing condition.

Although I am not eager for the autologous stem cell treatment, I am not afraid of it... but that said, I certainly hope it doesn't interfere with our travel plans, and my wife's reward (gift certificate was part of an award). I will call my local hospital again tomorrow to see what's going on. I feel good. I don't feel like I have cancer. My only symptoms have been some pain in my spine from time to time, but that could be due to other factors. However, the Quebec hospital has my info and did call. Not to sound dramatic, but this begs the question... how close am I to starting treatment? We'll see.

UPDATE:
After calling my local hospital and asking for more info, they called back and scheduled me for an appointment tomorrow morning. Curious to see what's up.