She was fed up of the fever. It had gone undiagnosed for more than a week, but tapered off after she swallowed some antibiotics.When it recurred three weeks later, she wondered if rather than suffer again, it wasn't better to just asphyxiate under the coverlet.
"Let's check out this doctor my friend recommended. He sees in the best hospital in the city," her husband recommended.
Reluctantly, she went to meet the doctor. He checked her, heard her case history and said, "Typhoid and Malaria can go undetected. We will also check for TB. All these can relapse if not treated properly. But we will anyway start treatment, IV this time."
When she found her fever under control, her optimism returned. And when the doctor's speculation was confirmed by the test reports, she felt her confidence in the doctor increasing. This was the third time in a month and a half she was getting all the tests repeated. But so long as she was healed, she didn't mind.
The last dose of IV over, she went with her mother and husband to meet the doctor. He checked her pulse, her BP, her chest and smiled. Then he got up and came up behind her. He touched the points under her earlobes. She couldn't see him now, but she could see her mother and husband, both seemed visibly shaken.
The doctor came around, looking obviously worried. "Swelling - normal during infection, but it seems too hard. Let's get it checked up."
Her mother looked panic stricken. Even without the doctor mentioning it, it looked like she was suspected of having cancer! When her mother opened her mouth to ask, he quickly dialled a number and asked for a doctor. As he waited on the line, he told the husband, "He is a leading oncologist." Then turning back to the phone, he asked, "What? He is not in town! Then get me the hematologist. No, I want this appointment right now!"
The three panicked. Not the C word! "You are lucky. He can see you tomorrow at 6."
"Is it that urgent?" she ventured boldly. From fire into frying pan! Her heart beat fast.
The doctor looked at her gravely. "The earlier the better, ma."
With a heavy heart, husband and wife went to meet the hematologist. The man frowned as he touched the points mentioned. The husband started to ask if it was serious when he was shushed. The doctor asked the wife for a series of symptoms. She had suffered those because of the fever, but how could she be sure now!
Seeing her doubtful, the doctor said, "Let's start with some tests and an ultrasound."
"But I got one done just last week."
The doctor quelled her with one look. "You can pay at the counter and then get the tests done. The moment you get the results... wait." He dialled a number and asked when the reports would be ready by. "Reach them to me directly." He looked at them and gave a date a week away. "Meet me then," he said and the couple noticed he put a star against her name.
The lady submitted herself to tests - which looked very similar to the one she had got done the week before - and then headed for ultra sound, the only new element.
The radiologist asked her for the reason and she said, in near tears, "I had typhoid and now... these nodes."
The man frowned. "This is swollen, no doubt. But that is normal during infection. Anyway, if the doctor has asked you to..." he shrugged. She looked at her husband with some hope.
They went a week later. The doctor looked up and said, "All clear."
"The nodes... do they swell during infection?"
"Yes, of course. Considering she suffered from typhoid and malaria, that was to be expected. But because your doctor suspected tumour, it was only right to eliminate the possibility completely."
A week of agony, uncertainty and futile expenditure. The doctor could have said this before, and waited for her to recover completely!
Little did the couple know that the two doctors received a bonus yet again for referring them!
"Let's check out this doctor my friend recommended. He sees in the best hospital in the city," her husband recommended.
Reluctantly, she went to meet the doctor. He checked her, heard her case history and said, "Typhoid and Malaria can go undetected. We will also check for TB. All these can relapse if not treated properly. But we will anyway start treatment, IV this time."
When she found her fever under control, her optimism returned. And when the doctor's speculation was confirmed by the test reports, she felt her confidence in the doctor increasing. This was the third time in a month and a half she was getting all the tests repeated. But so long as she was healed, she didn't mind.
The last dose of IV over, she went with her mother and husband to meet the doctor. He checked her pulse, her BP, her chest and smiled. Then he got up and came up behind her. He touched the points under her earlobes. She couldn't see him now, but she could see her mother and husband, both seemed visibly shaken.
The doctor came around, looking obviously worried. "Swelling - normal during infection, but it seems too hard. Let's get it checked up."
Her mother looked panic stricken. Even without the doctor mentioning it, it looked like she was suspected of having cancer! When her mother opened her mouth to ask, he quickly dialled a number and asked for a doctor. As he waited on the line, he told the husband, "He is a leading oncologist." Then turning back to the phone, he asked, "What? He is not in town! Then get me the hematologist. No, I want this appointment right now!"
The three panicked. Not the C word! "You are lucky. He can see you tomorrow at 6."
"Is it that urgent?" she ventured boldly. From fire into frying pan! Her heart beat fast.
The doctor looked at her gravely. "The earlier the better, ma."
With a heavy heart, husband and wife went to meet the hematologist. The man frowned as he touched the points mentioned. The husband started to ask if it was serious when he was shushed. The doctor asked the wife for a series of symptoms. She had suffered those because of the fever, but how could she be sure now!
Seeing her doubtful, the doctor said, "Let's start with some tests and an ultrasound."
"But I got one done just last week."
The doctor quelled her with one look. "You can pay at the counter and then get the tests done. The moment you get the results... wait." He dialled a number and asked when the reports would be ready by. "Reach them to me directly." He looked at them and gave a date a week away. "Meet me then," he said and the couple noticed he put a star against her name.
The lady submitted herself to tests - which looked very similar to the one she had got done the week before - and then headed for ultra sound, the only new element.
The radiologist asked her for the reason and she said, in near tears, "I had typhoid and now... these nodes."
The man frowned. "This is swollen, no doubt. But that is normal during infection. Anyway, if the doctor has asked you to..." he shrugged. She looked at her husband with some hope.
They went a week later. The doctor looked up and said, "All clear."
"The nodes... do they swell during infection?"
"Yes, of course. Considering she suffered from typhoid and malaria, that was to be expected. But because your doctor suspected tumour, it was only right to eliminate the possibility completely."
A week of agony, uncertainty and futile expenditure. The doctor could have said this before, and waited for her to recover completely!
Little did the couple know that the two doctors received a bonus yet again for referring them!
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