Had to switch doctors...adventures of a bald headed freak

MaryAn · 09-09-2010, 03:18 PM

I had to switch onc. Had really bad hand pain, he sent me to the er. I could see my hands totally red. The ER doc called him and they both decided I was just nervous and needed to go home and sleep. I went to his office and got my charts and switched to another onc right then and their. I was told i have the onset of neropathy and the new doc put me on b6 and lyrica. Still have some burning pain and dryness but I feel better than the crazy Woman who has nothing wrong with her. We r our own best advocate!

I have some scaling in my hands now, but am keeping them lotioned up. Any other suggestions?

MaryAn · 09-09-2010, 03:19 PM

Am i a troublemaker?

ElaineM · 09-09-2010, 03:49 PM

No. You are not a trouble maker. Everyone has a right to switch doctors if they are not comfortable with a doctor and if they think they were treated badly by that doctor.
I hope you can find a doctor who you think you can work well with to solve your health problems.
Red, swollen hands need to be checked out by a licensed physician. I wonder if a dermatologist can help with the redness? Have you tried vitamin B6 for the neuropathy if that is what you actually have? Wear gloves for washing dishes, housework and doing hand laundry for a while. The soap and/or cleaning products you use may need to be changed to something less harsh while you are receiving cancer treatment.
Good luck. Take good care of yourself.

chrisy · 09-09-2010, 04:58 PM

Crazy woman, probably not - at least not with respect to the problem with your hands. I agree with Elaine, you should really have that evaluated. I'm not a doctor but my experience with neuropathy over the years is that it was a tingling and sometimes painful but I've never had the skin symptoms you describe.
So it might be something else, maybe a reaction to your other medications.

BonnieR · 09-09-2010, 05:16 PM

Sometimes we have to stir up some trouble to get things done! All that matters is that you felt disrespected by the doctor. I switched GPs early in my cancer treatment (when my BP was through the roof and he was not giving me the meds to control it) he told me to "take all your worries and float them down the river". I suppose he meant that to be comforting but I felt patronized. And my worries were not going to get resolved by wishing them away. So I got a new doc who got things straightened out.
Keep the faith.

Becky · 09-09-2010, 06:47 PM

I switched oncs in the middle of it. My first doc had such a poor memory I felt we were meeting for the first time during every appointment.

Since then, I became more empowered and have changed my whole healthcare team and have wonderful doctors surrounding me. You are not crazy, you just were not comfortable and you really need to be.

Jackie07 · 09-09-2010, 07:50 PM

I always fall in love with my doctors - the good ones. Earlier in my brain tumor journey, I fired my family doctor/primary physician and demanded all kinds of referrals from the 2nd one. A year after my surgery and recovery, I switched to a third family doctor because the 2nd family doctor was avoiding me - he wasn't the one who had diagnosed my tumor, nor had he tried to refer me to any specialist - I had to damand them. And in the world of HMO, more referrals means less bonus for the primary physicians... He even had tried to persuade me to use the neurosurgeons 'in-network' when the neurologist had stated that this one particular 'out-of-network' neurosurgeon was the only one in town he would recommend.

I've been seeing my oncologist for the past 7 years. Neither he nor the breast cancer surgeon diagnosed my recurrence because the mammogram report continued to say it was 'scar tissue' (because everyone trusted the surgeon had done her job). I had to request for a mammogram ahead of the annual routine from the surgeon and get her attention - the people who read the films were just not up to their job. And I finally understood why the brochures always states that mammogram is only accurate 70% of the time.

It's an executive rank of job to manage our own cancer treatment. We have to know how to supervise our health care providers - how to motivate them, how to communicate with them... We have to counsel our loved ones - help them to get counseling, be sure they take their medication, including anti-depressant... We have to be our own marriage counselors - if we want to stay in the relationship... We have to pretty much do everything ourselves, because frankly, who gives a 'd-' if we are gone forever?

No, you are not crazy. You haven't seen the real 'crazy' yet...

Rich66 · 09-09-2010, 08:32 PM

What meds/chemos are you on?

Bonnie,
Did you tell him what he could float down the river?

Sounds like he had foot/mouth syndrome.

Trish · 09-09-2010, 08:57 PM

Well done for being your own advocate. I'm struggling with the skin probs on my face as a result of a Tykerb/Abraxane cocktail. I'm using something called MooGoo which is given out with Caelyx as skins probs and neuropathies are so common. It is actually an udder cream (apply to udder after each milking-enough to cover the cracks and surrounding areas!) yet to see if it works. It contains Almond Oil, Olive Oil, Rice Bran Oil, Milk Protein, Allantoin (comfrey root), Aloe Vera, Vitamin E, Phenoxyethanol, Piroctone,Guarsilk. For what it's worth. Good Luck. Trish

flynny · 09-09-2010, 09:15 PM

Great job speaking up for yourself! We all have to look out for our well being and if we feel we aren't getting the right answers, it is up to US to go find someone who will stick by you!

BonnieR · 09-09-2010, 10:15 PM

Yeah, Rich, I told him something along the lines of "float THIS".

swimangel72 · 09-10-2010, 10:44 AM

I LOVE you girls - you are all so empowering and uplifting! And Jackie - you are sooo right, "We have to pretty much do everything ourselves" - I learned this even before BC.........when I had to diagnose my DH's blood clot in his leg (I remind him all the time that I saved his life, lol.) ..........and when I discovered an error on the survey on the house we were trying to buy - no thanks at all to two different real estate lawyers. I realized then these "professionals" just are NOT invested in our lives - we have to use our own brains and 5 senses (and even our 6th sense) to manage all aspects our lives well, not just with BC.

MaryAn - I'm so sorry about your hands and hope they are better now. You GO GIRL for switching oncs! (I switched twice already - love my third onc now.)

Thanks ladies for really making me smile this morning!

MaryAn · 09-27-2010, 01:25 PM

Feel good now, thnx. On a chemo break wil see new onc friday. Prayers for a good outcome r appreciated.