4 January 2021
We drove over to the Plastic Surgery Clinic on Divisadero today for Joyce's 2:30 appointment, parking in the adjacent garage to avoid the rain. Except the rain had stopped, the storm has passed, the sky was blue, the sun was shining.
We were 15 minutes early but Joyce got right in. It isn't a busy clinic, although I did see three other patients while I sat in the waiting room.
We brought supplies for the dressing change and that's what they did. Cat (short for Catherine), a physician's assistant who had attended the original August surgery, did the dressing change.
She came out with Joyce to let me know everything looked great.
"No Dr. Tong?" I asked.
No, she was in surgery.
I had thought this was an appointment to discuss the Feb. 4 surgery. Cat confirmed the surgery date.
"And where would the tissue come from?" I asked.
Dr. Tong will decide at the time, she said. So she really couldn't say.
"Well, would you say cadaver tissue is generally used in these cases?" I asked.
Cat said that was older technology, like from 20 years ago. Within the last 10 years at least, the preference was to use the patient's own tissue because it was more compatible.
"And where would it be taken from?"
Well, usually a flap on the side of the thigh. But again, Dr. Tong would decide. Cat apologized for not having better answers but she thought Joyce was only coming in for a dressing change.
Which, of course, makes no sense because Joyce has been getting her dressing changes at home all this time.
Cat did take a photo of the wound and Joyce liked how she did the dressing. Cat couldn't tell me anything about the gap around the muscle but promised Dr. Tong would be in touch if she was concerned.
So much ado about nothing, in short. For a $10 copay and $6 parking charge.