How Doctors Think

[fauxgypsy]

I put this out in response to another post but I am afraid it will get lost. There is a book titled "How Doctors Think" that should be required reading for every patient. The author is Dr. Groopman. Please check it out. I wish I had read this at the beginning of this journey. I believe I would have made better decisions.

Leslie

[janet/FL]

http://www.amazon.com/How-Doctors-Think-Jerome-Groopman/dp/0618610030/ref=pd_ecc_rvi_cart_1/002-4573673-2196006

Thanks,

[hutchibk]

Just reading the review on Amazon sounds intriguing. I know that they also have feelings and emotions that enter the mix... and that can color their scientific thinking.

I believe that to be true when it came to my brain mets. I know that my oncs care very deeply about me and are invested in my long term survival. We are very close. I try to keep them on their toes, and they try to keep me alive for a very long time. I love them and trust them. This is not at all a judgement of them or their thought processes, but an observation of where I think their original recommendation of treatment came from. They wanted me to first consider targeted rads, then it was ramped up to WBR, and in the end I lobbied for watchful waiting and observation of the efficacy of the drugs. I know that they were erring towards the most aggressive treatment available because they didn't want to take any chances. They care about me and all of their patients and don't want us to die. I think they sometimes err towards "throwing everything at it", the bigger and more all encompassing the better. I can't fault them for that. I believe that cancer scares them as much as it does us. I love that they want to kick it's ass and I think it is natural to lash out aggressively at something that threatens someone you care about. However, I had a feeling that if we reined in the emotion (imagine that, a patient reining in the emotion, LOL) about the brain mets and held tight for a little bit, we might get a good response from the drugs and some good info, and if not, we wouldn't lose any ground if we were smart about it and kept close eye. I loved that they were trying to protect me at all costs. I understand how and why they were thinking what they were thinking. They were thinking with their hearts first. And I know that many docs don't approach it that way. I am very lucky. They appreciated my take on it too, and have told me that they have learned something from it.

I will definitely order this book and read it... sounds great.