Not seeing a doctor...thoughts?

wallycat

I am not sure where to post this so will start here.

I am frustrated seeing my oncologists.  The one in Wisconsin and the one here in Washington have been very nice and all, but I swear, I wait for 1/2 hour to see them for 10 minutes.

I cannot imagine how quickly they breeze through these exams because their thoughts are on how late they are and the next person in the other room.  I sometimes think they feel that because i am stage I, that I should not or do not need to worry.  They charge huge fees and since I "knew" when I had breast cancer and they do not run any scans, tumor markers, etc., I wonder if I should just be checking myself and call them if I have issues.

I have just seen my onco and have had the frustration of a life time....1 hour to get there, 1/2 hour wait, 10 minutes (if that much) time with her and they wanted to run labs and screwed it all up so 1/2 of them were not run.  They think  I can just drive in (really??) and have it redone (at my cost).

just venting at medicine today.  I miss the days when doctors were in this because they loved people and cared about science and not so fixated on money, money, money.......

AmyIsStrong

My doctor told me that 85% of recurrances were self-reported (i.e. the patient noticed something and brought it to the attention of the doctor) and the other 15% were detected at the exam or through testing. 

I am not as far out as you are. I see the onc and surgeon every six months. So far, the checkups are reassuring.  Perhaps in a few years, I will feel the same way you do.  I don't think my time is that super-valuable that a 1/2 hour wait is so terrible though. I wonder if you could ask to be seen less regularly - perhaps that would make you feel better. I don't think I would want to stop having followup completely. 
Just my thoughts.

moneeme

I decided not to see the oncologist any more too. Unless there are symptoms, they don't do any tests. I don't have any symptoms so why bother going? They take my blood pressure, ask me a few questions and feel for lumps. I can do that.

minxie

I'm thinking about it. I hate going there, so many awful memories. And I often have to wait 2 hours to see my doctor - for the same 10 minute exam!

Panmars

I'm still early, seeing my MO every three months, but they do lab tests every time, to make sure the tamoxifen isn't destroying my liver or kidneys, and to make sure the cancer markers are where they should be. My MO does a very thorough exam too, and is a very caring, sweet woman. Yeah, I wait a long time too sometimes, but I'll keep seeing her until that 5 year mark when I stop the tamoxifen. Just peace of mind, I guess. 

mokenagirl

My attitude is  completely different. I look forward to seeing him.  I can't believe he has spaced the appoinments now 4 months apart. I find him reassuring

Racy

My oncologist has never examined me. Is that unusual? It seems he relies on others for that. The breast surgeon does and the rads onc did before and after treatment but never looked at my breast at weekly appointments during treatment. If I have any other concerns, I have been given the impression that I should see my GP first for examination.



I am just one year post diagnosis and feel reassured having regular reviews with all four doctors spaced throughout the year. I don't have to travel far.

jancie

mokenagirl - I agree with you.  I am dreading my oncologist telling me that I don't need to see him every 3 months and to space it out to 6 months!  I was also told that my next mammo would just be a screening mammo and not a diagnostic mammo.  That scares the heck out of me.

I do have to wait a long time for my oncologist but he is worth it. 

Wallycat - suggestion would be to check with a chemo nurse or someone else at the onco office and find out if there is a better time in the day to see her.  I know when I schedule a 11 am appt then I am going to wait at least one hour but if I schedule first thing in the morning my wait is not that bad or consider getting the first appointment after lunch hour.

lago

Just passed my 1 year t his August 31st. I see my BS once a year and my onc (or her NP switching off) once a year (basically someone every 6 months).  I see my gyno & GP once a year. Still doing reconstruction (just got nipples last week, Yay). Not sure how often I will have to see my PS for follow up. Didn't do  rads.

But if I should have an issue (bone pain, headaches, rash etc.) I will see my GP but also tell my onc. It will be checked out.

I too can wait a long time to see my BS (onc not as bad ). It's because he spends as much time as needed with his patients. The earlier in the day the less time I wait. My appointment today was at 7:30am. Still didn't see him till 8am. I only needed 10 minutes with him because everything looks/feels good.

wallycat

Thank you ladies for sharing your thoughts.

I would love to schedule first thing in the morning but my onco is an hour 1 way...and I don't want to get up THAT early to see someone I am dreading.  I have doctor anxiety and maybe the whole thing/perspective is from that.  If stress can increase recurrence, seeing them is inflicting injury

jancie

Wallycat - I get the "too early in the morning" appointments which is why I schedule mine for anytime after 10:30 am and it is ok if I have to sit there for an hour.  I sure as heck am not getting up early to sit at a doctor's office!

ma111

Family doctors can also do some of the follow up you need. There is a shortage of doctors and the hospitals they work for dictate how many patients they see. It does suck, but your family doc taking over could help. Do however go for some kind of follow up.

carcharm

My onc does the same thing. I am 2 years out and see him every 6 months for 5 minutes. He desn't even palpate my mastectomy site. But, my surgeon is a female and very thorough. When I feel something is up I call her. She takes the time to talk with me about my concerns. I think the role at my facility for oncologists is to admisiter chemo and tend to the effects of it where as the role of the surgeon is to keep abreast of my body changes and potential spread.I think that each facility has a different set up as to who does what. Maybe, if you are comfortable you can see your pcp for the labs and the surgeon for the exams.

jw523

Wallycat - your doctor works for you.  I think it would be fine for you do go in with a written list of things to discuss or a test you want and go over the list with them to your satisfaction.  You can also still bring someone with you for moral support or a second set of ears.  I didn't have chemo so I don't really have a connection to my ONC.  I really only see her for refills.  Talk to them and see if you can get a 1 year refill if all your tests have been good for a few years. You might also be able to get the labs run closer to home - they can call it in to another lab or send you a slip for them or skip them until next time if you've had good labs for a few years as well.  Ask them if these are test you REALLY need now or can you wait until next time.

I really rely on my BS for follow-ups - haven't seen my RAD ONC since RADS were over since I haven't really had a problem so far.

I agree that it's too many DR's to see (I have another med issue and have been on the the every six month plan with that for 10 years.) I now see my BS every six months and I'm comfortable with that.

I agree that it's hard to go to the Cancer Center for appt's - I try to remind myself to take it as a time to be very grateful that my treatment is over and I am okay now.

If you paid the amount of money we pay for treatment for any other kind of service you would try to get better service  - if you aren't happy you can try to switch Doc's - also a giant pain in the a#@ but might be worth it in the long run.  Good Luck!  and you are not alone in how you feel.

wallycat

I loved my breast surgeon.  He was patient, thoughtful, examined me thoroughly...but sadly, he is in Wisconsin.

I have no doctor set up here yet...I've just been here 1 year.....

I'm sure it will all fall into place, but just had to vent.  They also ordered labs and 3/4ths of them were never run.  Clearly they are clueless how the "new" insurances work....sigh.  Or maybe they know they just don't care 

susan_02143

Wow. You wait that long for a ten minute appointment? That would irritate the crap out of me. My hospital has an "on time" policy. If for any reason [and sometimes I have been that reason] the doctor can not see you at your scheduled time, a nurse is sent to the waiting room to tell you exactly what is happening and a vague why.

My oncologist, who I saw every 6 months for a few years, would spend 30 minutes with me. The first 20 minutes were mostly chatting about how I felt, any new ethnic restaurants we had tried, and whatever else seemed to come up. Then there was a 5 minute physical exam, and ending with writing up the lab request and any scans that he thought might be needed.

The month that I reported a lot of pains and concerns, he and his PA jumped into overdrive and had me in a scanner within 24 hrs. My time with my oncologist was never a waste. My only regret is that we got a little too casual about spacing, but two months would not have made a difference.

I wish all of you had a doctor that shows such great concern about the patient in the room at that moment.

*susan* 

p.s. and no waiting for lab results. Just log onto their website, run your credentials, and there they all are. 

lago

I have no problem waiting for a doctor. That means he spends as much time as needed with his/her patients. I've  waited 1.5 hour for my BS for 15 minutes. All I needed was 15 minutes but just before surgery (pre-op) he spent a ton of time examining me as well as answering all my and my husbands questions. He let me get dressed before we went into discussion.

jancie

Lago you bring up a good point.

I remember at the beginning I was spending 40 minutes at least with my oncologist as I was scared and had so many questions (thanks to BCO).  He NEVER once rushed me.

In turn I don't mind waiting on him because he might be working with a newly diagnosed scared to death patient.

At this point I don't need to see him for more than 15 minutes.  I give him an update to my health, talk to him about any concerns, he does an exam, writes the meds and I am out of there.

Last time I saw him I said "I am sure you don't need to hear again about all of my joint pain due to the AI's" as it isn't something he can control and there is really no need to bring up that issue again - it is something I have to deal with.

I would rather wait for him than get the feeling that I am rushed out of there so that he can stay on schedule.

whatRstatsanyway

Wallycat, I hear you, girl. I have to take a day off of work and drive 4 hours to go to the oncology center. The last time, my appointment was at 11, they called me into the exam room at 12, and I sat there in a johnny shirt until 1:15. I had to request that the onc. examine the surgical area. My next appointment is at the end of the month, and I am dreading it.

I see the breast surgeon every six months too. He is always 2 hours behind, but at least he does a thorough exam. I'm tired of feeling like a number. Changing oncology centers isn't an option, as this is the best in the region- they are simply overwhelmed by the number of cases that they have to manage. I just hate sitting there flooded with memories of two years ago, hoping and praying that this visit isn't THE one that something has gone wrong.

 I have lab tests next week to see if, finally, I'm in menopause. I had to rebook and never received confirmation so I'm hoping that there was no glitch. When I started this nightmare, April 2009, a CT was ordered before treatment and it was never done - the onc took a fit when I got there and there were no results  - like it was my fault it wasn't done?!? end of vent 

fightinhrd123

I dont see my onc anymore.  I go to my regular dr after now and then and run my labs, that i can read myself now, and if i have any symptoms i call my onc and he will do scans.  Just works better for me now,

Laura

otter

My BC dx was made at a Breast Health Center that's a 2-hr drive from my home. That center is part of a large university hospital/NCI cancer center, so I've stayed there for my treatment and follow-up.

I see my BS (a surgical onco) once a year. She's a founder & director of the Breast Health Center, which might explain why she is still monitoring me. She schedules my mammograms and does a very thorough exam, especially the clinical breast exam. My BS said she typically follows her BC patients for 5 years and then "releases" them back to their local physicians, unless the patient wants to continue to see her. My appt with my BS is scheduled "to follow" after the mammogram. A team of radiologists reads the mammogram and writes the report immediately, so I get a preliminary copy of the results before I leave for the BS appt down the hall. The official results are in my medical record by the time my BS walks in the exam room.

My med onco also sees me once a year, as of this past year. Her appts are scheduled in between the BS visits, so I see one or the other every 6 months. They're at the same center, so they recommended that schedule. My med onco does a very thorough exam, too; and she orders blood work unless I bring results of recent lab tests done somewhere else. (My PCP does blood work annually because of the non-BC meds I'm taking.)  My med onco will talk to me about anything -- questions I have, journal articles I've read, meetings she has attended, new ideas about BC treatment... or summer vacations. She said she wants to monitor me at least 5 years. I've been told by another doc that my med onco never "drops" her BC patients -- she follows them forever, I guess.

Seeing one or the other of my cancer docs every 6 months doesn't bother me at all, even with the 2-hour drive to get there. The wait for the appts is minimal (maybe 10 or 15 minutes), and, like Iago, when I get impatient, I remember the other patients they're seeing who might be much worse off than I am. Neither of those docs ever seems to be in a hurry to get to the next patient.

What seems excessive to me right now is the other doctors I see.

My PCP insists on seeing me every 6 months to monitor my BP and cholesterol, even though he only does blood work once a year. I can't skip the in-between appt because he will only write my prescriptions for 6 months at a time.

I also go to an osteoporosis doc (an endocrinologist) once a year, as recommended by my med onco. The osteoporosis doc orders my DEXA scans and is monitoring my calcium metabolism, because I'm on Arimidex, I'm already osteopenic, and historically I've been at high risk for kidney stones (I was excreting too much calcium).

And, of course, there's the GYN, who I see for the PAP/pelvic stuff. He does a hasty, superficial breast exam that probably wouldn't find a new lump. I don't go to him every year, though. I figure at my age, I'm at low risk for anything he might detect except for BC; and I trust my onco docs more with that body region.

<sigh> I really would like to trim this back to 2 docs a year; but I just don't trust my local docs (GYN and PCP) with the important stuff. OTOH, my med onco told me that, at my age, monitoring by a good "internist" (internal medicine) might be more important than an oncologist.

otter

otter

Sheesh. I am sorry I'm so long-winded.

The short version is that I hate when some of us find our doc visits so useless.  And, I don't know what I'm going to do when I hit my 5-year mark. I'd love to find a kind, compassionate, thorough, knowledgeable internal medicine doc who could take over much of what my other docs are doing. So far, that has not happened.  I've seen 2 internal medicine docs over the past 10 years or so, and both have done exactly what wallycat is complaining about (long wait, hurried visit, incomplete care).

The situation will be more serious in a few years, when I switch over to Medicare. Quite a few of the docs here do not take new Medicare patients.  I need to be grandfathered in before then.

otter

peggy_j

Sorry this is had happened. Are there other options? First appt. after lunch? Shop around for another doc? I switched MOs after my first meeting and I'm glad I did. My current MO does sometimes run late but when I'm in there, she never rushes me (w/ my long list of questions) or dismiss my concerns because I'm "just" stage 1.