The doc said what?

Unbreakable01

I wasn't sure where to post this. I have stage 2 mucinous carcinoma, 34 years old, no history of breast cancer in the family. I've had a single mastectomy with breast reconstruction, have had 2 fills and go in for the 3rd tomorrow.

I went in to see my general doctor today for a pap smear. I went there in May because I felt that my lump that I've had for 3 years had grown. I needed a referral to get the ultrasound. A different doctor saw me, felt the lump and gave me the referral. It turns out it didn't grow, there was another cancerous lump.

Fast forward to today and again I saw her instead of my general doctor. She went through the different reports and said she was glad she found it. She didn't find it, I was monitoring it and went in because I wanted to be proactive. She had to step outside to grab a light for the pap smear tool. When she was outside, with the door closed, I heard her tell the nurse, I can't believe I found my first cancer!

I was a bit offended by that. Maybe she was happy because it was caught, but it just sounded wrong to me. There should be no joy in my cancer. This isn't something you add tick marks to on your list of things. She is a young doctor.

I'm learning that general doctors don't always know much about breast cancer. She was doing a women's wellness exam on me and needed me to lift up both arms up over my head. I'm 6 weeks out of surgery, had 2 lymph nodes removed, I don't have my full mobility yet. I told her I can't, so she said as high as you can. She was looking for symmetry and said I can't tell because your other breast is bruised. The bruising has gone away. I let her know that's a tissue expander and it's not fully filled, that's not bruising.

I have not had the best experiences with doctor's visits, receptionists, communication. You'd think that things would be better, or maybe I just have bad luck with it. Thankfully I have friends that listen, and a bond with others that understand all of this.

Thanks!

ml143333

Oh my!  I can't believe she would say that, but working around physicians, I know it happens.  If I were you, I would talk with her the next time you see her and let her know what you heard and that it was unprofessional and not compassionate.  If it were something she felt she wanted to say, she should not have said it near any patient's exam room.  I would also go a bit further and speak with the practice manager.  Being in that position, he/she needs to know what goes on like that so he/she can counsel physicians and staff about things like this.

vlnrph

Looking for symmetry with reconstruction sounds like something a plastic surgeon would do while admiring his/her handiwork once the process was complete! There are other factors to be assessed in the arms overhead position such as skin uniformity and other irregularities so, perhaps among all these mistakes, that's a minor point.

Sounds like she would be wise to think a little prior to speaking. I think mI above has good advice. You might save another more vulnerable person from even worse results by helping this doctor realize the impact of her words.

Someone else could be put off enough that they might decline follow-up and walk out of that office vowing never to return. What if they then ignored significant symptoms because they wanted to avoid further interaction?

You should be commended for pursuing an unwelcome diagnosis, enduring surgery and maybe be sent for genetic counseling due to being such a young age. A physician with high standards for patient care should have supported you through this and thought about the possibility of a hereditary cancer, not be kept busy congratulating herself.

Unbreakable01

Ml, I agree and will speak with her next time. I've had some interesting encounters with the whole medical system in general.

Vl, if I can help her become wiser as a young doctor, then I'll be her first cancer guinea pig to learn from.

I've done the testing for BRCA, and that came back negative. The oncologist is sending my tumor back for the Onco test, so I find out the results on Monday. I honestly think she doesn't know much about cancer.

When I received the news from my actual general doctor that the tumor was cancerous she did say that she's not an expert, and I'd speak with the breast surgeon, but possibly all I would need was a lumpectomy. Well, it was a lumpectomy with radiation or mastectomy. Each doctor has said this is all you may need, and then there's another thing that the next doctor recommends. I've learned to just expect anything.

vlnrph

Did you have a consultation with a genetic counselor prior to getting tested? There is much more than BRCA 1/2 out there. Just as general doctors can't keep up with all the developments in cancer diagnosis & treatment, they are even less up to date with the explosion of information regarding mutation analysis.

It did seem like more drama at every turn during my work-up also. What an educational experience!

vlnrph

Excellent point grey, putting yourself in the other person's shoes is a good way to learn empathy

Unbreakable01

Vl - they did not give me any genetic counseling. My breast surgeon was the one who sent me to get the BRCA test. My MO then sent me separately for the onco test.

I've learned a lot through this process as well and through this message board. Sometimes I don't know what questions I'm supposed to ask. It's overwhelming just trying to make sense of everything and what the doctors are saying.

Empathy is big. My breast surgeon really wanted me to take pain meds when I came out of surgery. I was sore and tight, but the pain I had, I realize now was from the stitching on my drain tube. She said you don't win an award for being strong, take the medicine. I hated the feeling of throwing up afterwards so didn't take it. I didn't take any when I got home because it wasn't pain that pain meds would take away.

I was in surgery for 3.5 hours, recovering, and then they discovered I had a hematoma so wheeled me back in for another 2 hours. I was nauseous from all that anesthesia too. My BS said I remember when I was pregnant and was under for 30 minutes, I understand. Try being under for almost 6 hours and then you can tell me how it feels.

I think they sometimes try and mean well, but it just doesn't come across the right way.