What a mishmash of emotions heading to this appointment. We have sojourned so far to get to this point. What if after all this, it isn’t LD after all? Or what if he says my LD is to advanced and there is no hope for me? I have no idea what to expect nor what the outcome will be.
We headed into the office and its tiny waiting room. It was your standard doctors office albeit the decor was slightly more modern than most. The reception area was closed off from the waiting room - only one small partitioned window with sliding doors provided any access to the staff hidden behind them. The main office was hidden away too... behind a locked , windowless door. I wasn't sure what to make of the seemingly tight security but I tried not to worry about it.
And besides, I was far too preoccupied with keeping my emotions in check as I waited for my appointment.I rang the bell at the closed partition and the window magically slid open, revealing Anthony, Dr H's receptionist and obviously the office gatekeeper. I checked in with the very friendly but somewhat shy Anthony and then waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
The anticipation nearly killed me. We were finally allowed in behind the hallowed locked door and shown into an exam room. In the corner of the room was a big, overstuffed leather winged-back chair. We looked at it with a sort of awestruck intimidation.
This is NOT Dr H.
"This must be the guru’s chair." We reverently whispered. We respectfully perched ourselves on the lame, less than comfortable folding plastic chairs that were positioned opposite "the chair".I nervously shuffled through my notes and waited with bated breath for the arrival of the one we have sojourned so far to see. Finally, the door flung open, and in sauntered DR H. Our fears were immediately put to rest... he wasn't some unapproachable guru of Lyme…he's more like surfer boy next door meets laid back genius…he sauntered in and threw himself into his easy chair, immediately reclining into a slouchy, relaxed state.
I was just starting to finally relax myself when I realized that something about the way he carried himself was strangely familiar to me. Then it hit me. Sitting there all slouched down in his big comfy chair, his demeanor was actually reminiscent of the way Taylor looks when he's lazily loafing lethargically on the couch.
Help! I've traveled 4,000 miles to see a LLMD that bears an uncanny resemblance to my teenage son? Maybe I'd rather he'd appeared as some bow-tied, be-speckled, uptight guru!
Gosh, I wasn't sure if I should laugh or run screaming from the room!
However, once we got down to business any qualms I had quickly vanished.
My consult with him lasted over 2 hours.
At the end of it, I asked him if I had LD.
"Well, duh. Do you really not know?" he incredulously snorted.
"I just need to HEAR a doctor say it OUT LOUD." I replied.
He looked me square in the eye and with a big, cheeky grin, he bellowed,
" Bottom line...You have LYME DISEASE! You have Babesiosis. You have Bartonella. There is No question about it. And I'm going to help you fight it."
WOW!
"Thx, Dr H" I exhaled, "I needed to hear that. And just so you know I'm going to beat this. I'm going to get better."
He replied, "Shannon, my goal in treating you is not just to get you better...it's to give you total wellness."
When I heard that I cried.
Graham cried.
Then we hugged Dr H.
That was awkward but cool.
Maybe next time, we'll bring him some Canadian beer.
No comments:
Post a Comment