|
10-02-2008, 07:45 AM
|
#1
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Stockton, NJ
Posts: 4,179
|
Being a Bad Patient Can Save Your Life
I found this interesting in that it isn't just me (or any of you wonderful people) who self advocate and fire doctors.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/10/02...ate/index.html
__________________
Kind regards
Becky
Found lump via BSE
Diagnosed 8/04 at age 45
1.9cm tumor, ER+PR-, Her2 3+(rt side)
2 micromets to sentinel node
Stage 2A
left 3mm DCIS - low grade ER+PR+Her2 neg
lumpectomies 9/7/04
4DD AC followed by 4 DD taxol
Used Leukine instead of Neulasta
35 rads on right side only
4/05 started Tamoxifen
Started Herceptin 4 months after last Taxol due to
trial results and 2005 ASCO meeting & recommendations
Oophorectomy 8/05
Started Arimidex 9/05
Finished Herceptin (16 months) 9/06
Arimidex Only
Prolia every 6 months for osteopenia
NED 18 years!
Said Christopher Robin to Pooh: "You must remember this: You're braver than you believe and stronger than you seem and smarter than you think"
|
|
|
10-02-2008, 12:49 PM
|
#2
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 943
|
Me too...
Becky, I too have fired rotten docs on several occasions and have long stopped being the model patient who thinks doctors know what they are doing.After my prolonged breast misdiagnosis from trusted experts, I finally had my eyes open to the fact that many doctors, even ones with seemingly good track records and credentials, are not cracked up to be what they ought and are practicing dangerously.
__________________
Robin
2002- dx her2 positive DCIS/bc TX Mast, herceptin chemo
Last edited by RobinP; 10-02-2008 at 01:00 PM..
|
|
|
10-02-2008, 05:52 PM
|
#3
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: "Love never fails."
Posts: 5,808
|
My first family doctor, son of a veteran family doctor in town(Father and Son had their own family clinic at that time), 'threatened' to give me a referral to a psychiatrist when I was complaining recurring headaches in 1989.
I chosed another family doctor who I was assigned to a couple of times when my family doctor was not available. The new one - possibly flattered by being chosen as a replacement - gave me all the referrals I asked for (though not without complaints - I was lucky to have a retired pathologist who was a volunteer at the library where I was working at the time to push me for further checking.) and eventually (another 8 months) got the mystery solved by a neurologist.
Yes, being a bad patient saved my life. Even the recurring breast cancer was sort of discovered by myself. I was so sick one week I had to be off for several days and then went to the weekend clinic. I found the lump before seeing this weekend doctor. But my mammogram and surgery were delayed and delayed. Finally, when they tried to delay my surgery again, I got on the phone with an oncologist friend (same hospital) and he helped me to push the surgery a week sooner.
The margin to my pectoralis muscle turned out to be just 0.5mm during the surgery. Had I not acted 'badly', I would have gotten myself a paralyzed right shoulder.
__________________
Jackie07
http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2011/06/doctors-letter-patient-newly-diagnosed-cancer.html
http://www.asco.org/ASCOv2/MultiMedi...=114&trackID=2
NICU 4.4 LB
Erythema Nodosum 85
Life-long Central Neurocytoma 4x5x6.5 cm 23 hrs 62090 semi-coma 10 d PT OT ST 30 d
3 Infertility tmts 99 > 3 u. fibroids > Pills
CN 3 GKRS 52301
IDC 1.2 cm Her2 +++ ER 5% R. Lmptmy SLNB+1 71703 6 FEC 33 R Tamoxifen
Recc IIB 2.5 cm Bi-L Mast 61407 2/9 nds PET
6 TCH Cellulitis - Lymphedema - compression sleeve & glove
H w x 4 MUGA 51 D, J 49 M
Diastasis recti
Tamoxifen B. scan
Irrtbl bowel 1'09
Colonoscopy 313
BRCA1 V1247I
hptc hemangioma
Vertigo
GI - > yogurt
hysterectomy/oophorectomy 011410
Exemestane 25 mg tab 102912 ~ 101016 stopped due to r. hip/l.thigh pain after long walk
DEXA 1/13
1-2016 lesions in liver largest 9mm & 1.3 cm onco. says not cancer.
3-11 Appendectomy - visually O.K., a lot of puss. Final path result - not cancer.
Start Vitamin D3 and Calcium supplement (600mg x2)
10-10 Stopped Exemestane due to r. hip/l.thigh pain OKed by Onco 11-08-2016
7-23-2018 9 mm groundglass nodule within the right lower lobe with indolent behavior. Due to possible adenocarcinoma, Recommend annual surveilence.
7-10-2019 CT to check lung nodule.
1-10-2020 8mm stable nodule on R Lung, two 6mm new ones on L Lung, a possible lymph node involvement in inter fissule.
"I WANT TO BE AN OUTRAGEOUS OLD WOMAN WHO NEVER GETS CALLED AN OLD LADY. I WANT TO GET SHARP EDGED & EARTH COLORED, TILL I FADE AWAY FROM PURE JOY." Irene from Tampa
Advocacy is a passion .. not a pastime - Joe
Last edited by Jackie07; 10-02-2008 at 06:01 PM..
|
|
|
10-03-2008, 10:59 AM
|
#4
|
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 3,142
|
Being a Bad Patient can Save Your Life
Let's remember one doctor cannot know everything about everything. Alot depends on their medical education, experiences with patients, conference participation, interaction with other doctors and the individual research each doctor does. Like the rest of us doctors will always be better in the areas they have personal interest in just because they will be drawn to those subjects more than other subjects.
By all means if you think a doctor is not your best advocate it is time to find another doctor who can do his or her best for you. Be proactive. Be assertive. Our health and our bodies are our responsibility. It is up to each one of us to do our parts and take care of ourselves to the best of our ability 24/7. It is up to us to ask questions and discuss our concerns with our docs. It is up to us to learn as much as we can about our health problems. Solving health problems should be a team effort between doctors and patients.
|
|
|
10-04-2008, 09:54 AM
|
#5
|
Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Washington, DC
Posts: 7
|
Thanks for sharing!
I love this artice! Thanks for sharing. I've fired a lot of doctors and am so happy I did so. Some were too arrogrant to take the time to explain things to me. Some wouldn't pursue a treatment plan that was aggressive enough. Some just dropped the ball too much. As a result, I love my doctors, esp. my oncologist. I do sympathize with doctors who are usually running from 15-minute appt to 15-minute appt. There's just no way they can take care of us as well as we can take care of ourselves, making good use of their wisdom and knowledge.
__________________
Diagnosed 12/03 HER2+ ER+ PR-
AC & T 1/04-6/04
Mastectomy 7/04 7in tumor, 5 of 9 nodes positive
Radiation 8/04
Herceptin 2004-05
Arimidex Zoladex 2004-07
Recurrence 12/07 liver mets, bone mets, pleural effusions
Navelbine, Zometa, Herceptin 12/07-8/08
Carboplatin, Abraxane, Zometa, Herceptin 9-12/08
Ixempra, Zometa, Herceptin 1-3/09
Avastin, Tamoxifen, Zometa, Herceptin 4/09-present
|
|
|
10-04-2008, 04:08 PM
|
#6
|
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: New Jersey
Posts: 3,154
|
Great Article Becky,
Especially for the newbies....first of all they are still reeling from the dx. of bc...let alone to question or dare to challenge a doctor.
It is vital to question and understand what your treatments are and if there are other choices.
Jean
__________________
Stage 1, Grade 1, 3/30/05
Lumpectomy 4/15/05 - 6MM IDC
Node Neg. (Sentinel node)
ER+ 90% / PR-, Her2+++ by FISH
Ki-67 40%
Arimidex 5/05
Radiation 32 trt, 5/30/05
Oncotype DX test 4/17/06, 31% high risk
TOPO 11 neg. 4/06
Stopped Arimidex 5/06
TCH 5/06, 6 treatments
Herceptin 5/06 - for 1 yr.
9/06 Completed chemo
Started Femara Sept. 2006
|
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is On
|
|
|
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 03:46 PM.
|