[sassy]

I had two good onc. Or actually, one good onc and one great onc. The good onc trained the great onc!

The first onc I actually received treatment from talked with me, explained things to me, reassured me and made sure I was comfortable with everything. After finding out I was HER2+ during the course of treatment, we had a major shift in a short period of time. After thinking about the changes for a couple of days, I realized I had quite a few questions. I faxed my questions to my onc. He had a resident call me immediately, then called me himself after rounds to talk about my questions and concerns. He also threatened to put me on disability if I didn't slow down on the work and rest more during treatment. He was right.

My second onc was great. We spent each appointment discussing all aspects of my disease and treatment, current research, etc. He went outside the box in my treatment--very progressive and aggressive. He appreciated my knowledge and efforts to understand and told me he actually learned from me. I shared with him information I had learned from this site, and he checked into it. He also visited this site and was impressed to say the least. He made a point to visit the HER2Support booth at ASCO to meet Joe, Christine, Steph and others.

I think that as a researcher, he recognized the importance of the information gleaned from the patient.

I agree with others that a good onc shares as much information with the patient as the patient is capable of understanding and handling on an emotional level.