If you’re one of several people who have sent cryptic messages asking for a report on the scans Robert had done last week, please know that you are not alone. We aren’t worried about the delay, and we’ll let you know when there’s something to say.

Perhaps if all had gone as planned at Hopkins last Tuesday we would have the reports by now. However, Hopkins did the wrong CT scan – gastrointestinal, abdomen, and lower body instead of gastrointestinal, thoracic, and neck. That’s why we had to go to Sibley on Thursday for them to scan Robert’s chest and neck. So, add two days ...

Next delay: we know our oncologist, Evan Lipson, was to be traveling Friday, and we aren’t sure when he was/is expected to return. He will want to review the pictures himself, no matter what the radiologists’ reports say. Let’s give the man a chance to do his job ...

And what about the others in the “supply chain”? The radiologist’s report is probably dictated or scribbled, and that has to be transcribed – very possibly by someone on another continent. The radiologist probably has to read the transcription to make sure it’s accurate before signing off on the report. Then it has to go to Medical Records, get into the computer, get catalogued, whatever ... and any one of those steps could have an unexpected delay. This is the state of our medical system today ...

Now, for the substance. I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes longer for us to hear about the results each time another scan is added to the mix because there are more pictures to compare. These are not duplicate prints of the same shot – mostly they are looking at nodes and organs that might move around and/or change shape from day to day. The pictures were taken at different times and will have shadows and variations that need to be examined and analyzed. It’s possible that a dot that wasn’t troublesome in October is still there, maybe a little darker ... or maybe they need to look for something they saw on an earlier scan that isn’t there now. One doctor will see something and ask someone else ...

Robert’s “what will be will be” attitude is rubbing off on me. That’s a good thing. I am not reading doom and gloom into the delay. You shouldn’t either.