How to find a doctor that will look out for your best interests?

Juls · 10-02-2015, 09:33 AM

Good question - In UK we have no say in who we see. In saying that I'm told I am in best place for treatment etc. Sometimes I'm not so sure! I am still finding out info over 2 years after diagnosis. Info that I think I should have been given at start.
Thank goodness for this site!

Becky · 10-03-2015, 05:26 AM

I understand this completely as I changed once. What made it even worse as I did so within the same practice. It made (and still .makes) it alittle uncomfortable. I need a nerd doctor who is always reading and keeping up. The one I have now I am so confident in. Even though I am 11 years out, I know he is always updating a plan for me. I think if something happened, he would be ready with all the options for us to discuss and that his plan for me has changed over the years as New Her2 solutions have been developed. The other one gave me a 70% chance from the get go (my kids were school age then) and when Herceptin was available, he wouldn't give it to me but his partner did so I had my year of Herceptin alone without chemo as chemo and radiation were completed when I started (chemo by 4 months and rads by 2 months) . You never know what part of your treatment plan is the part that gets you to 11 years NED but maybe it was that Herceptin. I am here and happy to know I still have a doctor who I can work with should I recur or get a new cancer.

Bottom line, its a relationship and it has to work for you. Doctors are just people and you don't see eye to eye with everyone you meet.

SpitFire · 10-03-2015, 07:04 AM

Juls - I am glad that we can still choose our doctors for the time being. I don't want socialized health care, even though I have gotten more up-to-date information on this forum from people in socialized countries than from my "cutting edge" doctors.
Becky - I am glad you have found a real doctor. I would feel so much better if I knew someone was looking out for me. It is scary knowing that I am on my own, and am doing better than in the care of my incompetent doctors. That is so scary! I am not a doctor, but am way more informed than my doctors were.

I have had nothing but problems with my oncologist from the start. What gets me is how everyone just raves about him. He made mistake after mistake. He is sooo incompetent. Everyone defends him, because he is "nice." I have found out so much information on the internet and the other doctors still try and credit him! It is disgusting. I got no help from my oncologist and I got made fun of if I dared ask a question to my oncologist or "took advice from just a nurse," or looked at the internet. He is an obvious loser, but everyone just loves him!? He plays people. I had so much pressure to stay with him until I had enough that I would rather die than go back to him ever again. Then I finally stood up for myself and fired my oncologist and my beloved breast surgeon (he referred me) who promised me he would take care of me, but didn't, he tried to defended him instead. Now as I have found out certain things, I realize that my breast surgeon is scum too, he just hid it better. I don't trust doctors, but I need to pick out a breast surgeon as I am BIRADS 3 and need to be prepared if my status changes. I have been referred to another breast surgeon, but will not go to her. On the internet, my old breast surgeon looks top notch, but I know he is not working for me, so how do you find a good doctor? Are there red flags to look for? What are signs are there that someone is a good doctor? Remember when people used to respect doctors? At this point, I don't respect doctors.