Dear Tracy,
I don't know if it's helpful because I don't know all the details, but I
don't think any of them really know much for sure. Most of medicine is a
match up of symptoms and disease. Then they put you on a medicine, and if
you respond, then they make a more educated guess that you had such and
such disease. I think it's typical of doctors to be very conservative in
their notes on people they treat.
I remember a lady on a surgical floor in a medical hospital where I worked,
as a social worker.. She had cancer, I think in the colon. She was scared
to have the surgery the doctors were suggesting. There were some notes in
her chart; something like impossible to tell if some of the cells hadn't
spread to another part of her colon, etc. There were a few more things
that sounded equally scarey. I had already had my mastectomy and felt
pretty conservative on these issues, and this was a lady of limited
education from an inner city neighborhood of NYC. So I went in and read
her some of the things in her chart and suggested maybe she talk to her
doctor again about the surgery before she went home. She had the surgery.
I don't know, maybe part of it was that 3 or4 member of her family were
there when I did this.
I don't regret doing this and hope she's alive today. But it's hard, in
reading medical charts, to discern what the real dangers are, from doctors
trying to be scientific, from doctors trying to cover their asses, e.g.,
cannot rule out part of the Empire State Bldg. might fall on her tomorrow;
she plans a trip into Manhattan.
Hugs and Good Wishes,
Martha Cerreto
----------
> From: Bruce and Tracy Walter <btwalter@concentric.net>
> To: mol-cancer@lists.meds.com
> Subject: [MOL] A hand that needs holding
> Date: Monday, July 27, 1998 10:26 PM
>
> I just bit the bullet and sent an email to my oncologist at Indiana
> University regarding the issues I have concerning follow-up. I don't
think
> we are doing all we can in my case. I tried to put it professionally,
> but non-confrontationally, I am particularly interested in some
> post-surgical treatment to address any residual systemic disease,
follow-up
> by cat or pet scan instead of xray, and a plan to address a reoccurrence
> should one occur.
>
> I read my file at my local oncologist's office last week. I was
surprised
> to find letters going between 6 or 7 different Drs. (most by cc), They
> copied a cousin who is an oncologist, my pulminologist, my internist, my
> local oncologist, and other members of my medical team. The only person
> not copied on the letters was me!! In the letters, they write things
like
> "her prognosis is guarded at best" blah, blah, blah. This is contrary to
> the sunny face they put on for me. I want Doctors who think I am going
to
> get well!!! Damn the lawyers of the world who make them take hope out
of
> their files. (I confess that I am a lawyer, so I guess I can say that
damn
> my brethren if I want)
>
>
> Please pray for me, that I get an answer with some options, that my Dr.,
> Dr. Einhorn, is receptive to my letter.
>
> Thanks for letting me share.
>
> Tracy
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