Mets Day 9 - looking for an OR

This morning I've traded several emails and phone calls with Dr. Schoenberg's staff at Hopkins, trying to get an earlier date for my surgery.  I had been tentatively scheduled for surgery on May 21, but yesterday, Dr. Schoenberg said that he would ask his staff to look for the earliest available surgery slot.  So far, they've told me that they can reserve May 14, and they continue to look for earlier dates.  Apparently, Dr. Schoenberg's regular surgery day is on Mondays, when he has an OR and team scheduled for his use.  The Mondays prior to May 14 are all scheduled with cases that can't be moved; his staff apparently flip-flopped the case that was previously scheduled for May 14 to May 21.  For him to do surgery on other days, such as a  Wednesday, his staff has to check with other surgeons who have OR's scheduled for those days to see if one is available for his use, then he needs to make sure he has his team available.  These things take time, I was told, so I should remain flexible in the event an earlier date opens up. It's possible that I could be told of an earlier date with just a few days of notice.  I guess it's sort of like being on an organ transplant list, and being advised that a donor organ is available.  I'll just need to be ready to drop everything go.

Why the rush?  With my being a month or more past my last chemo treatment, there is nothing keeping my very aggressive cancer from rapidly spreading throughout my body.  Every day that I wait increases the risk that my cancer shifts from a regional disease that may be cured through surgery, to a systemic disease that surgery cannot cure.  I can't quantify the increase in risk, but would like to minimize it.  Having made the decision to proceed with surgery, I'm now eager to get on with it. 

I'm grateful that my law firm is being so supportive.  I've got several active cases with many deadlines, and I've been gratified by how many of my law partners have volunteered to cover for me on such short notice.  In the past, I've provided cover for others during their times of personal emergencies, and the wheel of karma is spinning so that I am the beneficiary.  It is good to work at a place that embraces its core values.