My new gyn seems pretty good. They got me in for a next-day appt even though her next available was in August. It always amazes me how booked up drs are!
She started with a sit down in her office to go over my issues, definitely not what the average patient gets. But then, the average patient isn't toting around tamoxifen issues.
All of which could be something or nothing--but that will require checking out. That meant an exam today, a bunch of bloodwork and a fancy ultrasound a month from now with the possibility of an even fancier ultrasound if we still have no good answers.
I'm happy she suggested the fancy ultrasounds that I'd read about on the web and my drs back in smallish town either don't have access to, don't know how to use or don't care to offer as options to a patient such as me.
Which brings me to my question: Who else would be a better patient to offer these to? Giving an as-far-as-anyone-knows entirely healthy 42-year-old woman a choice of surgically removing everything or taking your chances can't be the best that can be done.
And I expect the best that can be done for me, especially for me and for anyone else who's already had to have body parts removed through no choice of their own. The fact that treating breast cancer has led to all these other issues is just not acceptable.
I expect my drs to realize this and offer me treatment accordingly. I expect to hear, "We will give you whatever tests that are available in an effort to give you enough information to make a sound decision on what you need to do, if anything, about your gyn issues that are almost undeniably a result of bc treatment.
"For you, we will spare no cost, no technology. It is entirely wrong that a woman should deal with bc at 37.5 and absolutely unconscionable that treatment for bc should have her facing gyn issues at 42."
Yeah, it'd be nice if they threw in an I'm sorry, but I don't expect that, because it's not their disease and they don't get it like those of us who get it do.
So, so far, this onc seems to get it enough to be someone I can work with and that makes me happy.
The time, energy and cost I'm going to have to spend on this, not at all.
Don't feel sorry for me, get mad with me. Mad for me and for all the other women who will have to deal with this until we get a cure for bc and treatments that don't bring on other horrific problems.
I expect better.
I expect the best.
1 comments:
I am mad right there with you! For some reason, getting an MRI or ultrasound or PET scan seems to be like pulling teeth, especially if one is a younger woman.
Before my preventive double mastectomy, my onc made sure that besides mammograms (all of which were inconclusive), I get yearly MRIs.
Younger women get short shrift in the breast cancer arena. We have problems unique to our age and lifestyle. I wish more doctors/insurance companies etc. would realize this.
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