Pathology Results on a Friday...Lesson Learned

I've been waiting all week for the pathology results from surgery #4. I knew there was a possibility the results would be delayed because my surgeon was out of town, but she had said that she'd make sure someone (either my chemo doc, or another person in the office) would receive the results so that they could call me. So, Friday morning I'm finally calling the surgeon's office asking for them myself. Of course, it's a Friday and hardly anyone is available who is "qualified" to read them so they promise to find someone to get back to me. At 4:00pm, someone leaves a voicemail that basically says, "see if your oncologist can get them or you'll have to wait until Monday when the surgeon is back." Funny! And unacceptable. 

So I madly get on the phone and call everyone I can think of that can get me those results. Again, 4:00pm on a Friday? That's really gonna happen. Luckily the amazing receptionist at the surgeon's office took this as a personal challenge to get someone to call me back and she is able to track down my chemo doc to login and get the results so she can call me back. 

So at 6:30pm, I finally get the call. And that's when I knew I should have just left it alone. What the hell did I want this kind of news on a Friday night for?? Initial results indicate that cancer STILL growing and removed from reincision; still no clear margins all the way around. UGH. Foot pathology shows cancer cells but results being sent to outside skin cancer specialist for interpretation. I am on the agenda for doctors' weekly Tuesday confab (because I'm now a really cool case) to determine what this means for further treatment. Chemo doc thinks this might mean a change in next step, but surgeon will call me next week to discuss.

Lesson learned? At this point in the process, waiting until Monday for these results would not have killed me, and probably would have been a better idea. Add this to the list of things you should keep in mind: do you really want to know the results on Friday night when you can't even talk to anyone again until Monday? When you could have lived in beautiful oblivion for a few more days? Maybe if this is new for you, you might. But I'm a "pro" now and these results really weren't going to make a difference in the grand scheme of things. I should have left well enough alone!