Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Yes, that is me

I have been getting a lot of emails!

The current issue of Mamm Magazine has an excerpt from my book in it. They took two chapters and condensed them into an article. My wish is that someone who reads it will take that extra step to be screened more carefully in order to prevent any more advanced cases of breast cancer being found.


It is ironic that this article is being published now, when I have been re-diagnosed myself with a more advanced cancer than I had the first time. I did push my then breast surgeon last YEAR to please give me an surgical biopsy of "my area of concern." But he said it was not necessary and that it was a hematoma from the core biopsy I had a month before. A year later, I am in chemo with a new breast surgeon. I can't unring the bell, but I wish I had fought harder.

Please, keep pushing. If you think something is wrong you know your body best. Push until you know for sure you are OK. And remember, this is just as important in post cancer treatment as it is when you are just beginning your screenings. I am lucky my new primary was found before it got any bigger and became untreatable.

Mamm is an excellent magazine. It touches on everything we are struggling with and celebrating. I am proud to be a contributor.

As I said, they had to edit quite a bit to fit into the magazine format, so I thought I would print the entire list of warning signs of a bad doctor for you from my book.

Warning Signs of a Bad Doctor

  1. Talks to you only in the exam room while you are undressed
  2. Never looks at you when you are speaking, but rather, writes furiously in your chart not listening to a word you say
  3. Has not reviewed your case at all prior to your visit. You know this because while you are perched on the iron table in your paper dress waiting for him, you hear him leave the exam room of another patient, then he is standing outside your door and you hear him remove your chart from the little cubby on the front of your door, flip through a few pages for 30 seconds and then he comes in. THAT is not what I call PREP. Either come in and open the chart and talk to ME or review it before hand at your desk in a proper way.
  4. He doesn’t wash his hands upon entering. He just left another exam room- do you really want him touching you?
  5. He makes no eye contact, isn’t quite sure of your name and simply goes through the motions of an exam. Or worse, never touches you. Never lays hands on you but writes up five prescriptions anyway.
  6. He acts as if we are all the same person- more like cars in a body shop than human. Once he opens the hood of a Chevy it is the same as a Ford.
  7. He doesn’t let you speak, ask questions, or express your fears
  8. He doesn’t seem to care that you have cancer. There is no empathy. He either tells you he can “cure you” or he says off hand “we’ll see if this works”
  9. When you question him about wanting a test or a certain chemo he makes a face because you “read it on the internet”. He then proceeds to inform you that anything you read is wrong and he is the only one who is right.
  10. He has the same routine with everyone, never thinks of you as an individual. You can tell from the way he is talking it is a rote speech he has delivered thousands of times. But he never puts YOU into the speech. You can tell your particular case is of no interest to him—he has done this thousands of times, he would like you to just be quiet and listen to what he has to say.
  11. You express a fear about your hair falling out and he makes a joke and tells you to stop being vain.
  12. He doesn’t take into account the quality of your life when he is lining up one harsh treatment after another.
  13. If you ask him about a side effect he says it “goes with the territory”
  14. He makes you wait—not just in the waiting room but even in the exam room where you are left there waiting and waiting. At least in the waiting room there were magazines to read! Once in a while, and if an apology is given then it is fine, but every time with no apology is unacceptable
  15. He is unavailable for after hours emergencies. OR if you finally do get through to him, he insinuates that you “bothered” him for nothing
  16. He won’t share your case and what he feels needs to be done with your other doctors.
  17. He never calls you with test results. I personally am still waiting for the result of a brain MRI I had in 2002 from a doctor who “forgot”. Thankfully, the radiologist told me I was ok.
  18. He thinks you are overreacting and might need some kind of counseling, anti-depressant, tranquilizer, etc. or you have fibromyalgia—when if he took five minutes to put your mind at east you wouldn’t need anything.
  19. He won’t let you bring your husband, brother, sister, or best friend in with you to discuss your case- all you are doing is taking up too much of his time.
  20. He doesn’t remember you. After six months of chemo he still has no clue who you are…. Don’t wait six months to discover this. Six minutes will tell you a lot about your doctor!

So, how many of you have seen a bad doctor??? Remember girls! They work FOR YOU!


Jenster said...

You just confirmed I had the BEST oncologist when I went through chemo in Arkansas. I moved away a year ago and my mother sees the same doctor (she was diagnosed a year after me) and the doctor asks her about me every single time.

Anonymous said...

Girl, I love your blog! Found you on breastcancer.org. Your posts and your blog are an inspiration to me. Thank you, thank you!

Anonymous said...

Where can I buy your book?
You are so awesome. I read you all the time on breastcancer.org. YOU ARE THE BEST!

You don't even know me but because of you I am getting through CEF chemo.