[Becky]

After almost 5 years, most of you know about my ups and downs I've had with my medical team and that I have switched every doctor I had. I will admit my second choices from medical onc, primary care and gyne have been great. I tease my husband (who is my first - going on 25 years this year) that I have much, much better luck with doctors the second time around.

Anyway, as many of you know, I also had problems with my radiation oncologist. I have to still see him every 6 months primarily because I also had a tiny, low grade dcis in the opposite breast at the same time I was diagnosed with my node positive IDC. This dcis was not radiated although the cancerous side was. At that time, I was working so hard to be able to get Herceptin (which was not offered then as the trial was still going on) that I really didn't do much research on radiation - and specifically research on radiation of dcis as I was getting radiation on the cancer side.

Later, during these 6 month follow ups (and having done research and having various studies on dcis come out that said all dcis should be radiated - some studies going out to 2003 - well before I got my rads in 2005) I would ask him why I didn't get rads on the dcis side. He would tritely reply "it was small", "it had a 2 cm margin all around", "it was low grade". The last meeting in early Sept 08 he said " the surgeon said not to". Well, I really lost it then. And I mean, I lost it and started yelling. Sighting the studies etc. He said he used the Van Nuys system. I knew this system and I told him, if you used that outdated system, then why aren't you following it to the T (I should be getting a diagnosic test on the breast every 6 months (ie: mammo, then MRI or BSGI, then mammo etc, etc) and I should be seen by him every 6 months for the rest of my life (he just told me I graduated to once a year and after I hit 5 years post rads, I don't need to see him anymore). He was freaked and I am sure, very embarrassed. I told him, if you are going to use a method (ie: Van Nuys) then you follow the whole protocol. I was always disturbed after every appt with him (as I had been with others) but I never changed from him (although I have been immensely pleased with all my other changes). So... I changed and what a wonderful, wonderful experience it was.

The new guy said he wants me to have some kind of diagnostic test every 6 months. I told him via my medical onc, I had a BSGI in January after a digital mammo in July. He said he was thinking more along with MRI then mammo but he said he didn't know anything about BSGI but would find out (and he DID and called me and said I could choose if I wanted that or MRI). He wants to also see me every 6 months. Then I asked the dreaded question - should I have gotten rads on the dcis side. He told me he would not have given me rads. His rationale is that it was so "benign" of a dcis. He said if nothing else had ever happened, I would probably live my whole life with nothing ever happening with that dcis (if it had been left in). However, I have had cancer and I have to be watched. He said another reason not to give rads is that it was so low grade so why "waste" the rads. He said, what if you get something that is close to the chest wall and we have to give you rads and really can't do as good a job because you have already had radiation. He said, I don't think anything bad will happen to you, but if it does, we have radiation and didn't waste that opportunity on something with little relevance - WOW, a real answer I can get my hands around.

Just wanted to share as the right doctor is everything in the world as we all know.

Have a great weekend!