Page 12 of Blake University HBCU Chronicles: Azari & Chozen

Once we were in the back and she got my weight, she took us to a room to get my blood pressure.

Surprisingly, it was normal. Whenever I had doctor’s appointments, my blood pressure was usually high because my nerves would be worked up.

Thanks to the conversation Chozen and I had earlier, I was relaxed enough to go to sleep.

The nurse smiled at me and let me know the doctor would be in to talk to me.

I usually only saw him twice a year for them to check my blood to make sure the cancer wasn’t progressing.

My scheduled appointment was for next month, about three weeks away.

Just as I was about to let my nerves get kicked up, Chozen said, “So, since my family is your only concern, I will invite them out. I texted Aunt Candace to see if Uncle Carrington could come too.”

“What did he say?”

“He hadn’t responded yet. He’s probably still at the office.”

I nodded as the doctor knocked on the door then entered. “Hello, Miss Michaels. How are you feeling today?”

“I’m having joint pains, but it’s a little more manageable today. Usually, just sitting on this scooter is painful.”

“Okay. Well, you know I need you to get on the table if you can.”

“Yes.”

Before I could begin to stand, Chozen was at my side, practically lifting me from the scooter. Before he could lift me to the table, I could see Dr. Fleming smile slightly. Chozen tenderly scooped me in his arms and set me on the table. The man had gentleness down to a science.

“Who’s this young man?” Dr. Fleming asked.

“That’s my boyfriend, Chozen Scott. Chozen, this is Doctor Fleming.”

Chozen extended his hand and shook the doctor’s. “Nice to meet you, sir.”

“It’s nice to meet you also, Mister Scott.

It’s refreshing to see Miss Michaels has support that goes beyond what’s even necessary.

I can see how much she means to you in your eyes.

” Turning to me, he said, “I’m glad you have him.

You’ve progressed to stage two, so we will have to start meds to make sure we keep this under control.

There are options, though, and I want to make you aware of all of them before I tell you which one I think is best for you. Okay?”

“Yes, sir,” I said as I felt my heart sink a bit.

Chozen grabbed my hand and said, “Don’t start worrying, baby. We will get through whatever the devil throws your way. You believe that?”

I stared up at him and could see the hope in his eyes. “Yes, I believe that. In my heart, I knew it had gotten worse, but I suppose hearing the confirmation of that made it real.”

The doctor nodded slightly. “Because you are in stage two and having issues with your joints, we could do a bone marrow transplant. Before we can do that, you would have to endure high doses of chemotherapy to destroy the diseased bone marrow. We’d then put the stem cells into your body so it can begin to travel to your bones and rebuild the bone marrow.

We can also do immunotherapy, which would treat your immune system so it can find those cancer cells and kill them. ”

I nodded as I listened. I loved Dr. Fleming because he explained things in a way that was easy for me to understand.

It was rare that I needed further explanation when he spoke to me.

“Then there is targeted therapy where we use medicines that will attack specific chemicals in cancer cells. That eventually causes cancer cells to die as well.”

He pulled a booklet from his pocket and continued.

“I want to use a combination of medicines. We call it PAD. There are three chemo drugs I want to use. They all kill cancer cells but in different ways. I want to make sure we get it all or as much as possible. This pamphlet will explain everything there is to know about the drugs, but this is the one I recommend. As with any medication, there are possible side effects. You are experiencing one of them already without medication.”

“Bone and joint pain.”

“Yes. Another is kidney failure. Any treatment is risky because we don’t know exactly how your body will react to it. We have data and research for most individuals, but there is always the possibility that someone could fall outside of that scope.”

I grabbed the pamphlet from him and looked up at Chozen.

He gently rubbed my back as I looked it over for a moment, just trying to let it sink in that I would be on medication for this, three pills for chemotherapy.

After taking a deep breath, I said, “If you think this is what’s best, then let’s do it.

There’s no need for me to take extra time to think about things I have no experience in. ”

He nodded and gave me a tight smile. “I’ll also prescribe you pain meds to help you be able to function. I can imagine the pain you’re in. How do you handle pain medication? Does it take a lot to relieve your pain?”

“It depends on how strong the pain is.”

“Okay. I’m going to prescribe morphine tablets.

If they aren’t helping, just call the office.

We have to be careful, though, because they place so many stipulations on us regarding pain medication, even for cancer patients.

It’s ridiculous these days. Even if the morphine doesn’t totally help, we can try a combination of that with Tylenol or something over the counter before prescribing something else. ”

“Okay. Thank you, Doctor Fleming.”

“Of course, Miss Michaels. Don’t worry. We’re going to get this under control, and you’ll be back to yourself before you know it.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you still use the same pharmacy?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Okay. I’ll see you again in a couple of months to see how things are going. Don’t hesitate to call if you need to get in sooner.”

“Yes, sir.”

He left the room, and I huffed. Staring up at Chozen, I said, “This medicine may have me completely out of commission, but I don’t want to drop out of school.”

“Don’t worry about a thing. You know I have connections. Let me work some magic on that, baby. Uncle Carrington is coming and so is RJ,” he said with an eye roll.

I giggled as he lifted me from the bed and set me on my scooter. “Sounds like a good time.”

“Mm-hmm. Maybe for you, but not so much for me. He’s like a big brother that stays in my damn business.”

I giggled again as I headed out of the room. “I should be thoroughly entertained.”

“That’s a shame. My woman gon’ laugh at my pain.”

I giggled again as we got to the nurses’ station and got my appointment card. As I was about to reach in my bag to pay my copay, Chozen handed her his credit card.

“I told you I got’chu, baby.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. As we left the office, I said, “I can’t wait to see what that feels like.”

“What what feels like?”

“For you to have me . . . sexually.”

“Mm. Well, you will definitely need to eat and drink plenty of water. I’m going to enjoy you for as long as you can handle it.”

My body shivered at his words. I would be sure to dope myself up tonight so I could endure what he had in store.