I got to visit my Hematology (Chemo) oncologist yesterday, for our quarterly report and “shareholders meeting”. I always enjoy seeing him. He’s been multitasking on my behalf since early on, treating both cancer and migraines. By the end of Rad and Chemo therapies I was getting pummeled by clusters of migraines. This seemed to inspire his determination to drop-kick my migraines off the CPMC Hospital roof. So he hooked me up with generic Imitrex, a true migraine miracle mission accomplished.
No matter how much I like my Chemo doc, it’s always a considerable wait at the Hematology clinic. Routinely a half hour, some days it’s more. People come from all over California for Chemo treatments here at CPMC in San Francisco. And it usually takes an overflow waiting room to keep the reception “lobby” from bursting beyond standing room only.
Yet this afternoon it felt as if our little corner of the cancer world had taken a deep breath and exhaled into some kind of almost-bliss. Instead of all chairs taken, there was only one person waiting when I checked in at 1:45 pm.
Time passed, two women came in, and then a man. Later, as my Chemo doc escorted my husband and I back to his office, I was overwhelmed to see mostly empty therapy stations. Where usually some 14 or so cancer warriors would be practicing the “Reclined Chemo” battle stance, I saw only 3 this afternoon.
I told my doc how amazed I was that there were so few patients today. He looked up from my file and said, “Some days we’re really busy.” I nodded. ....... “It’s just that ….....I was hoping …... this might mean …..”
With the slightest wry grin he looked back down at my file, saying, “No, ......... there’s still cancer.”
Well, at least for a few moments, I got a view of how things will start to look at Chemo clinics; when cancer is invaded and conquered and forced to quit threatening all terrorist activity.
*********************************
And in that future, we may well get to enjoy a new Golden Age of Reasoning and Light. Researchers at Duke Univ. Medical Center and the National Cancer Institute (Maryland) are following the light, and pursuing the promise of Biomedical Optics.
From Smart Planet come short overviews of both research projects, one using light to identify cancer cells, and the other using infrared in a process to kill cancer cells. The link below goes to “A flashlight that detects cancer”. Once at the article page, you’ll find a link to “How light therapy can cure cancer” and other articles.
http://www.smartplanet.com/blog/science-scope/a-flashlight-that-detects-cancer/11270?tag=nl.e660
