[Lucy]

It's funny that you're oncologist told you not to go on the internet or seek support from others with breast cancer. Mine strongly encouraged it and gave me a listing of endorsed websites. My response was "No thank you, I'll get my information directly from you thank you very much." I initially was very (VERY) reluctant to register for this forum because, to be honest, some of the stories I saw when I first stopped by scared the crap out of me. But I do think it's good to talk to others who have been through it because they can provide support that your doctors or even your family can't because they understand what you're going through (the others try but they don't really get it).

Where do you live SpitFire? I get treated at MD Anderson in Houston and people from all over the world go there (I'm lucky enough to have it close by).

The other thing you might consider . . . can your primary care physician run the tests for you? Maybe tell him something like you don't want to "waste" the oncologist's time for something "so unimportant" and you'd like him to do them instead and see what he says. That way you're not dealing with someone who doesn't take you seriously and you're not stepping on the toes of the doctors you don't want to lose or offend and you still get the tests. I went to my PCP on Tuesday and asked her to run some tests that the oncologist said she wouldn't monitor (despite her prescribing the pill that caused me to need the monitoring) and my PCP ordered the tests. She agreed that the oncologist should do it but she wasn't going to have me not get the tests just because she didn't agree with the other doctor. Just a thought.

Oh and, meant to mention, my liver function tests run high - with the exception of the last few weeks of chemo. I found it ironic that they'd be normal when I was being infused with toxic chemicals on a weekly basis. :-O