Officer hopes no one sees same doctors

  • Published
  • By Capt. Matt Bartomeo
  • 60th Air Mobility Wing
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  I'm sure everyone has his or her favorite horror story that is shared in groups when complaining about Air Force medicine.

I know that complaining about Air Force organizations, whether it be maintenance, mission support, medical or operations, can be a go-to pastime around the base. Well, I'd like to share with you a nightmare experience that I hope you will add to your repertoire.

In March, I was diagnosed with stage 2b Hodgkin's lymphoma. Since then, I have spent many days and hours at David Grant USAF Medical Center in places that most walk past on a daily basis, barely internalizing the capabilities of those offices. I hope you never have to count on these capabilities to save your life. But, if you do, trust me, they are world class and here's my proof.

Unable to kick a nagging cough for about eight weeks, my co-workers and wife finally convinced me to see a doctor. On March 11, I went to flight medicine for what I thought would be a routine appointment.

After looking at my chest X-ray, the doctors thought I might have pneumonia. However, to be sure it was nothing more serious, they admitted me to the hospital. By Thursday afternoon, they had admitted me to the hospital, performed a CT scan, an ultrasound, a lymph node biopsy in my neck and an MRI of my brain.

My oncologist, Maj. (Dr.) Bradley McGregor, worked at lightning pace, while on leave, mind you, to get me an official diagnosis within 36 hours. He, then, tirelessly worked to quarterback all the necessary prerequisites before I started chemo. I went from oblivious of my disease to chemotherapy infusions within 13 days.

I had the privilege to marry into a family of doctors who have been supportive. But, the one thing they have done most for me is help me realize how lucky I am to be under the care of Air Force medicine.

In the civilian sector, my father-in-law frequently battles with insurance companies for at least 30 days before he can obtain a PET scan. The great team at nuclear medicine did mine the day after I left the hospital. Whereas it could have taken days to coordinate my initial biopsy, Maj. (Dr.) Andrew Thoreson did mine minutes after they found a viable location. I could have waited weeks to have a port-o-cath placed in my chest, delaying my chemotherapy, Lt. Col. (Dr.) David Gover did mine five days after I left the hospital.

Throughout six months and 12 chemo infusions, they could not have cared for me any better. If you did not know, DGMC has an infusion clinic with some great nurses, especially my dedicated nurses Keith and Macky.

Though initially it seemed I would achieve full remission, my cancer recurred on my last PET scan. This meant I needed another biopsy to confirm the Hodgkin's returned. However, this time, it would not be as easy as taking a biopsy from my neck. This time we needed to go behind my breastbone.

At first thought, the interventional radiologists would attempt to get the biopsy from a lymph node close to my heart. I was all ready for surgery: IV started, lying in the gurney wearing just a gown. However, after talking with the doctors, we all decided the more invasive procedure would be more effective and safer, but I needed the biopsy now and meeting with a thoracic surgeon could take days or even weeks.

I was almost right. I waited 30 minutes. Lt. Col. (Dr.) Jason Williams saw me as a walk-in and he and his team spent the next two hours describing the process to my wife and me, calming her fears and my concerns. The surgery occurred three days later and they were so gentle I had no need for pain medication when I awoke with a chest tube in my right side.

I spent the next three days in the ICU, receiving some excellent care from all of the nurses. They did everything possible to make me feel better and more comfortable. They even went out of their way to set up my PlayStation and TV.

Though my fight against cancer continues, I know I am in the best hands. So that I may have a chance at a clinical trial, McGregor has worked tirelessly to arrange a meeting with the lymphoma center at Stanford University. Though on leave for the past week, he continues to press them in an effort to get me an earlier appointment.

Along the way, I have met some people who weren't as good as those I have described. That happens in any organization. You are destined to run across some bad apples and because we are human, those experiences tend to last longer than the good ones.

As I said in the title, I hope you never meet these doctors and nurses. I know for a fact they do not want to meet you. They are amazing people who have worked hard to cure my disease; but, beyond that, they have worked hard to ease our fears.

I hope your only encounters at DGMC are the pharmacy and your primary physician. If you're healthy, thank God. But, if you're not, thank God you're at Travis. The next time your friends share their "nightmare" experiences at DGMC, I hope you will share mine.