In the Waiting Room: A couple in their... - Advanced Prostate...

Advanced Prostate Cancer

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In the Waiting Room

Cisco99 profile image
25 Replies

A couple in their thirties look for two chairs together, waiting to be called for her infusion.

She is the one with the cancer -- you can tell by her brightly colored scarf.

Nobody but cancer victims and refugees wear scarves any more.

You can tell that, ten years earlier, they were a powerful pair.

She is strong, with strong legs, and she walks like a woman who knows who she is.

He is a tough guy in his motorcycle jacket, but wearing a beleaguered expression.

Being a tough guy isn’t much use when you are dealing with a spouse who has cancer.

The cancer doesn't see you coming and ducks out the back way.

In fact, it's a two-fer. She has cancer, I'm guessing of the brain.

But he has cancer, too -- it is eating him alive, you can see it in his eyes

and all he can do is open doors for her, and fetch a cup of coffee in a styrofoam cup.

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Cisco99 profile image
Cisco99
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25 Replies
marnieg46 profile image
marnieg46

You need to keep writing Cisco as you have a way of capturing the essence of life and what it throws at us.

Dachshundlove profile image
Dachshundlove

The infusion center is a humbling place. Cancer takes ones false sense of security away. It gives time a shape with finite edges.

Some days I want our old life back. The one where I had the luxury of saying No to walks with my husband. In this new reality, I know time is limited and consequently I appreciate it more.

Cancer takes so much. And cancer gives on a very significant level, many lessons to be learned on this path.

ctarleton profile image
ctarleton

Nice writing Cisco99. I would venture to guess, though, that the tough guy in the motorcycle jacket was involved in a lot more care giving and compassion in lots of other ways in the rest of their lives outside of that infusion waiting room.

(That reminds me of the times in some support groups when my wife has said something like, ... "but I'm not the one who has cancer", ... to which I sometimes point out, ... "Yes, Dear, but you are Married to Cancer." The love and support and care and compassion and our sharing of the whole of the experience - good and bad - comes with the territory and whatever journey we continue to share together. )

Charles

whatsinaname profile image
whatsinaname

Excellent stuff, Cisco99.

Do post more often. Thank you.

Sunnyby11 profile image
Sunnyby11

So well said...you must be a very old soul...

Currumpaw profile image
Currumpaw

Hey Cisco99!

Nice!

New Yorker material.

You depict a slice of life as it is being shredded!

Currumpaw

monte1111 profile image
monte1111 in reply to Currumpaw

I think if I said New Yorker material to most of the people I know, they would look at me blankly, and think, "Well it finally went to his brain."

Currumpaw profile image
Currumpaw in reply to monte1111

Hey monte1111!

Cisco99's style is somewhat reminiscent of Somerset Maugham's.

Our intellect is that which gives us both the ability to rise above the other species' achievements and to also fall beneath them morally.

(An opposed thumb helps too!)

Currumpaw

monte1111 profile image
monte1111 in reply to Currumpaw

I read The Razor's Edge when I was younger. (Liked the title.) Like so many of the classic books, I don't remember a lot. I do remember being young, so I guess that counts for something.

monte1111 profile image
monte1111 in reply to Currumpaw

So sad we have trigger fingers.

Kaliber profile image
Kaliber in reply to Currumpaw

Dang ... my my aren’t you well read. Kewl ...

That’s the beauty of Cisco isn’t it ... got to open up that intuitive mind ...

Cisco99 profile image
Cisco99 in reply to monte1111

Ya got that right

MateoBeach profile image
MateoBeach

Thank you for your writing, for your noticing. This is why when I go to my Cancer Center I always go early to spend more time int the waiting area. It is a sacred place.

Garbonzeaux profile image
Garbonzeaux

Write on!

Kaliber profile image
Kaliber

Dang guy ... bravo again .. love the scarf, it’s so intense and tugs the heart.

definitely the two-fer as well. That’s so deeply relevant to so many of us here isn’t it.

You know his heart is laying in the bottom of that styrofoam cup of coffee .... plastic and flesh . .....makes you cry.

👍👍👍👍👍

Peace brother ✌️

j-o-h-n profile image
j-o-h-n

Well my waiting room story goes like this.... As a reluctant member of a few hospitals in NYC I have a registered nickname of "HANDSOME" in their database... Inasmuch as my surname is hard to pronounce I ask the staff to call me "handsome" instead. Well It's great to watch most of the people's faces in the crowded waiting room when the staff comes out to call me into the doctor's conference room. Most people do a double take and my comment to them as I walk away is "I used to be Gorgeous but was recently downgraded to handsome".... NO BS....

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Sunday 12/15/2019 7:05 PM EST

Kaliber profile image
Kaliber in reply to j-o-h-n

Wow ... after we pop a few holes in that ego, we’ll have to get you included in LuLu’s next cacti photo shoot. Sounds like we have the material brewing for a calendar. ( all obvious envy totally intentional )

😁

j-o-h-n profile image
j-o-h-n in reply to Kaliber

Yep ,I'll model for the month of Neverary....

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Sunday 12/15/2019 9:20 PM EST

Gearhead profile image
Gearhead

In my infusion waiting room, there is often a volunteer musician playing soft soothing music. Lately, it has been a lady playing a big harp. As I look around, I suspect that I'm the only one that sees the irony here.

monte1111 profile image
monte1111 in reply to Gearhead

I actually complained about the "funeral music" being played in Kaiser cancer waiting room. Nothing happened so did a written complaint. After a few weeks it went away. Results were dramatic. Instead of staring at walls or floors people were talking and laughing. Really, why kick us when we're down. I know someone had good intentions, but we are still the same people we always were. We just have cancer. How about a little Pink Floyd.

Cisco99 profile image
Cisco99 in reply to monte1111

Everyone still likes disco

Cisco99 profile image
Cisco99

Ugg

Murph256 profile image
Murph256

When I was lying on the table for eight straight weeks receiving my radiation treatments, they often played Creedence. Now I like Creedence well enough, but they would play it like three times a week. Finally, trying to be funny, I mentioned to the nurse about how the music reminded me of The Big Lebowski. The nurse was about 25 and gave me a blank stare. She had obviously never heard of Creedence or The Big Lebowski. I felt like I was about 100 years old.

Cisco99 profile image
Cisco99 in reply to Murph256

I was in a dental office and the Muzak included a Muzak version of "I Am the Walrus."

Murph256 profile image
Murph256 in reply to Cisco99

Man, I’m so old I can remember when Muzak use to be Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole.

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