My Life With Cancer, “The Incredible Dr. Pagel” Part 24

After waiting around for over 5 hours at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and great big bunch of buildings, it was finally time to meet Dr. Pagel.

Dr. Pagel specializes in treating patients with leukemia and lymphoma and according to many sources is the best in the world.  Since I was sent to him to get another opinion, I was ready for him to tell me why my Cancer wasn't acting like other lymphoma's.  Abby Normal was sticking in my mind complete with Igor....That's "Eye-Gore"

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Dr. Pagel came in, did the normal introduction of a Doctor of his stature, you know full choir and orchestra fanfare, a big voice announcer bestowing his accolades for all those never to be in his presence before so they can properly ooh and aahhh.  Alright, not really but there should have been. He came in and completely discredited the doctors and pathologists here in the Treasure Valley.  I was just a little mad, you don't dis my posse.

Campfire scene from "Blazing Saddles"

He went on to tell me that according to his lab, I had B-Cell Lymphoma and that they were the professionals who knew better.  Then he started in on how I would die without Chemo.  Now when he entered the room, he did the usual check of my lymph nodes, found nothing, had the reports from my blood tests...nothing, bone marrow draw...nothing.  There was no reason to do chemo at all, except the doctor rules say "if the patient has Lymphoma they must do Chemo."

Well doctor or not, he was treating me like some rube from the sticks, I was by now passed mad and on to right down P!$$&d off.  So I didn't even mince words, I told him that I didn't believe in chemo and after watching what it did to my mom, would never do it.  So he changed gears and decided to see how stupid I was.

He back peddled and started stammering for a second and then said "well since you don't want to do chemo, we have this wonderful new drug called Rituxan."  I stopped him right there and said "Doc, I know what Rituxan is, I'm not some Rube from the Hills".  The with the thickest back wood drawl I could muster, I said, "don't make much sense to me to kill a whole yard just to get rid of a few dandelions."  Well that was the end of any pleasantries,  he shut my folder, slammed it down and told me not to invite him to my funeral, turned and walked out.

My entire meeting with Dr. Pagel lasted maybe 20 minutes.  I had flown from Boise to Seattle, waited over 6 hours and still had to fly back to Boise that night so I could be on the radio the next morning and I got nothing, no new info, it was a total waste of my time.

Then on top of everything not only did I get charged for their back wood lab work (Sorry but you aren't the Cancer Gods of the earth Seattle) and all the other stuff. I even got charged for chemo I never took.  $7800.00 to my insurance and $2200.00 to me.  I didn't even know I had been charged all this until someone called from billing at the hospital to get my end of the payment.  I got my insurance company on the line and spent the next hour trying to prove to the hospital billing the I didn't receive the chemo.  My insurance is still contesting that one. Because I can't prove I didn't sit in the chair, it's still on my credit.

It was nuts, my whole second opinion was a chemo sales pitch.  Brenda was right on this one, she told me all they were going to do was push chemo and they did.  So add to everything that Brenda was right too, yep chalk this one in the bad day column.

I did manage to get two Mel Brooks movies in this blog though.

Up Next  "They Vanished On Their Own"  Part 25