Scheduling tests

It seems that according to the protocol there is a litany of standard tests that are done prior to finalizing the specific treatment from MRI, to bone scan to CT scan.

It turns out, I have to be the one calling to set up MRI and CT (originally I thought that the nurse would be scheduling them up, same as blood work or genetic test), but it wasn't explained up front. So I called back the hospital on Tuesday to figure out if there is anything else required from me and was asked, by the way, have you scheduled your scans?

An hour on the phone, if not more and I was still unable to schedule anything. Had to drop the call as Max was calling from school and then decided in frustration to think about it tomorrow.

That turned out a good thing. An hour later, probably because I dropped the call, a nurse called and finally got an MRI scheduled for Saturday via emergency entrance.

Now that I am on the inside of the system with the cancer diagnosis it is strange to see how the hospitals create these additional rules and requirements. The few, I think, unnecessary appointments that take up lot of wait time --- required meeting another nurse in order to just schedule a biopsy, or for genetics 101 long chromosome explanations instead of quick blood test; but no roadmap or guidelines regarding numerous scans that are important and not easily arranged, most require different infusions (iodine, radioactive solutions, etc) and have to be scheduled and managed by YOU...