Today was my long awaited appointment in Southern California at the University of California Medical Center with Dr. Buxbaum, an expert in the cancer "MDS" which works it's way into full blown Leukemia. We were extremely excited and anxious as this would let us know if I had a chance to get a Bone Marrow Transplant or not.
My wife has spent the last 4 months with my Oncologist and office assistants in order to have all records and necessary information in the hands of this doctor by the time we arrived at 1:30 PM today. Well, we arrived early so forms could be completed and we could argue over the fact that we had to pay cash for the visit (along with a "facility fee" of $65.00 just for seeing the doctor at USC...WOW)!
Okay, most of it is settled and she asked us if we were there with the ability to pay up to $610.00 for this single consult. Well, after some discussion back and forth (and a small amount of SHOCK), finally they took a blank check to hold until we finished with the doctor. We're In! Whoo Hoo!
Barb and I are sitting in the room waiting to see this VERY SPECIAL doctor ($610.00 for initial visit, Whoo)!
He comes in, introduces himself, he is indeed, Dr. Buxbaum (I notice his name on his lab coat) and asks us what brings us to his office. "Well, we were referred here by my Oncologist so that you could determine my qualifications, based on my MDS, for a Bone Marrow Transplant. His first statement is, "What is MDS?" Of course we laugh as though he were just jousting with us. Then he asks again. "No really, what is MDS?"
ARE YOU SERIOUS? Very much so was his reply. As we talked, we learned that he was not an MDS Specialist but rather a GI/Liver Specialist! somehow, with 4 months of leg work for our visit, we were hooked up with a GI/LIVER Specialist instead of an MDS Specialist. We are a long way from home for this kind of mistake but it is true. Barb and I are in shock and do not now, know what to do.
Anyway, in our messy life, things go wrong. From what I started with above, one would think that the office visit would have gone off without a "hitch." But it went anything but right. A lot of people use a favorite quote about "Murphy's Law" saying, "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong." I'm trying not to look at it that way but rather, "for if Christ is for me, who can be against me?" This mistake, though VERY big in the scheme of our lives, cannot sway Christ from His purpose for me. I am His child, adopted with a purpose and working together with His Spirit for the kingdom of God.
So we came back to the RV and will regroup, ask God for His help and try to find the right doctor next time. Lots of time, money and stress went into this planned doctor's visit just for EVERYTHING to go wrong. But we are still looking for God's purpose here.
BUT, I didn't get a chance to share with you ALL THE THINGS THAT WENT "RIGHT" during this visit to Southern California. I'll keep that for another time but just remember, God has His hand right in the middle of my need to see this MDS SPECIALIST and as it is or is not His will for me, we will surge forward.
God loves you,
Dave
UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!
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