“Well Baby” Appointment

This morning I had a doctor’s appointment here:

 When I am “stable” but still doing treatment I see Dr. Scudder every six weeks and I have a CT scan every three months.

I call appointments like this morning’s a “well baby” appointment because Dr. Scudder, David and I end up talking for 20 minutes about many things other than cancer.

Dr. Scudder became part of my life just nine months after David and I started dating. He is a part of our family in an awkward way – we wish we had never met him and we want to get rid of him but we really love him. He is a wonderful doctor and a wonderful man.

I like to keep Dr. Scudder on his toes. I told him long ago that he was going to have to work hard for me because I was not going to go down easy.

The first stop on my way to Dr. Scudder is the 2nd floor of the UC Davis Cancer Center  check-in and payment counter:When I feel well enough I get dressed like a normal person and put on make up.  My wonderful nurses always ask me how I am feeling; with one look they can tell how I am really feeling no matter what I say. This morning I felt great and they could see it.

Dr. Scudder always asks lots of questions and does a physical exam. Next comes my onslaught of questions and my battery of comments about the outfit he is wearing, whether or not he was the one who stole our credit card this morning, what the origin of his name is in case I want to name our first-born after him, and my personal favorite, am I his best patient?

Yes, in full Clare style, I aim to be his most awesome patient. I’m not even sure what that entails but I almost always ask him questions that somehow require him telling me how amazing I am either directly or indirectly. This morning I asked him to give me a special award:

Taking control of things in the doctor’s office.

I made this for myself:

And then this happened:

If you are stuck having a Cancer Doctor as part of your everyday life you might as well become besties and have some fun when you can!

Thanks, Dr. Scudder!