Elephants and Tea - One Herd - 9

Our Voices
* Two long years of unexplained episodes
and excruciating pain.
* Two terrifying years of worrying that
I may have a heart attack in front of
my children.
* Two financially draining years of ER
visits and medical bills from seeing
every specialist on the roster.
Needless to say, it was a very dark and
isolating time for me. The people I was
supposed to trust with my life had determined
that I was more likely a statistic
rather than an anomaly.
Facing the possibility that this may truly
be my fate-that I may actually DIE from
these unexplainable " episodes " -I decided
to increase my life insurance policy. I
figured that if I wasn't going to be here to
finish raising my children, I could at least
make sure they would be financially set
up for their futures. It was when I started
the required medical testing that the truth
finally began to surface.
Despite having provided numerous
blood and urine samples to the aforementioned
roster, it was actually the insurance
company's tests that identified irregular
protein markers in my system. They sent
me back to my PCP with " some papers, "
and I quickly found myself in the office of
a local oncologist. A simple bone marrow
biopsy confirmed the diagnosis: multiple
myeloma. Finally, after two years of uncertainty,
I had an answer!
But the diagnosis hit me like a ton of
bricks. There are some details of that moment
that have escaped my memory completely.
But there are also those that are
permanently seared into my brain.
After hearing the words " multiple myeloma, "
I just remember the oncologist's voice
blurring into Charlie Brown's teacher. It
was December 26, 2017, and the holidays
were in full effect all around me, but suddenly,
nothing felt festive. I know he was
talking, but it was like an out-of-body
experience where I was only half " there, "
and that half lacked any kind of rational
comprehension.
When I could recognize words again, he
asked me if I had any questions. I just said
" No. " I had no idea how many questions
I really had for him, but in that moment,
I was drawing a complete blank. He gave
me his card, told me to call if I thought of
anything, and off I went.
I was barely able to make it to the car
before I broke down. I had no idea what
" The people I was supposed to
trust with my life had determined
that I was more likely a statistic
rather than an anomaly. "
ELEPHANTSANDTEA.ORG
ONE HERD ISSUE 2025
9
http://www.ELEPHANTSANDTEA.ORG
Elephants and Tea - One Herd

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