The Life-Changing Phone Call

...or so I thought.

Two days later, on November 13th, I got a call around 2:30PM from Dr. SH. He told me that he had looked at my bone marrow, and that it "looks like you have Myeloma." I stopped my car. My heart was pounding, but I tried to be calm. "What does this mean, then?"

SH: "It's a serious problem for someone at your age, and you need to come in and we can discuss your options."

This was a decidedly different tone from the person who the week before had laughed when I told him my doctor friend said I had less than five years to live. I asked him "so what is the five year prognosis? Am I going to die?"

SH: "That's not an easy question to answer. It's a long conversation. I'd like you to come in tomorrow afternoon, you will be my only patient and we can review all the options thoroughly."

I spent the evening telling our closest friends, crying a lot, reviewing life insurance policies and trying to figure out how my family would fare financially without me, and reading about Myeloma on the Internet (which led to a lot more crying and financial calculations). Not much fun. Not much sleep. Not much else.