Unregistered

I agree with you that we are just lay people, rambling about our inexact understandings and about our personal experiences. I agree with you that a second expert opinion is always a good thing, and in unclear circumstances, it's closer to a necessity. And then even a third or fourth opinion. Sometimes these expert opinions will clarify or correct; other times they will simply show that there is no one "correct" answer - all of which will improve peace-of-mind for the person trying to make the right decision.

But my sense is that on this board, it is a given - an unspoken understanding - that what we say is merely somewhat-informed conversation and not truly medical advice. We as a group are sharing experience and knowledge so that when we do discuss issues with our oncologist, we will have a better understanding of the choices that are available for discussion with that professional. If some are not perceiving the discussions in that way, maybe there should be a generic disclaimer notice at the start of each post. Or we could ask everyone who makes a claim (for example that Tamoxifen fuels HER2+ cancer, which I think may have been suggested years ago but never proven), we could ask that the person making that claim cite their evidence (post the abstract at least and preferably the full text).

Jill, do you think that this is a problem? If so, it's not just Amelia who should be receiving this caution but everyone who asks a question and receives answers.

Debbie Laxague (not sure why I'm showing up as unregistered but I'm too tired to copy/paste and sign in - although, I'm on my 4th try to get the six letter or digits right - these are hard to see!)