Doctors who take money from Pharma Reps (anti-chemo post)

cb123

John Oliver, exposing random people that affect us daily. I've been randomly watching John Oliver while I recuperate because he makes me laugh. It hurts when I laugh after double mast, but I watch him anyway. Imagine my surprise when I found my oncologist taking the Pharma money. Here's the video link.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Marketing to Doctors (HBO)

What are you supposed to think when the guy who wants to fill you full of toxic chemo drugs accepted over $10k from the drug companies in one year? Second opinion? I'm not talking about $20 lunches - I'm concerned about $2,000 "consulting fees." Here's the link so you can check out your own physicians. In their defense, 4 out of 5 of the doctors that make up my team are not taking any money - per the most recent info on this site. 2015 has not been posted.

OpenPaymentsData.CMS.gov

For the record, I'm anti-chemo and trying to remain open minded for the next 3 weeks as tests are run and results can be reviewed. If I do choose chemotherapy I will not be getting it from this guy.

I was torn on sharing this info with the rest of the physicians on my team, but I know I will. I'm being made to feel bad by 4 out of 5 of my doctors for questioning them, it doesn't seem to be stopping me. Thank goodness for my Primary Care Physician.

cb

PS I'm in the mortgage industry and the government recently created 2 different websites that MUST be checked for my name before each transaction that I make. Screen prints of those website findings must be added to each file for the file to be in compliance with federal banking laws. How come John Oliver had to be the one to point this medical colusion out to a patient?

Meow13

That was so funny but a very good reason you should not blindly take medication your doctor prescribes.

Ask questions and make informed decisions.

cp418

Thanks for the link. I do enjoy John Oliver's commentaries. Yes - I have seen these Pharma reps in the doctor's office. Shame on Pharma for hiring people without a clinical - pharma background! What a joke! The free samples are certainly welcomed at any practice with lots of elderly patients. I was offered a free sample once and researched it - then tossed it. There is more burden on patients to make these informed decisions IMO.

OT - what actually makes me very concerned is the practices or areas where NPs are freely dispensing medications - sometimes without an MD reviewing the patient chart. NPs get approx 500 hrs of pharma training compared to a PA who has approx 1000 hrs or an MD. Yet they are allowed to freely write scripts. I had one who immediately wanted to put me on a Statin when she saw my total cholesterol was over 200. My GP said no way - but what if someone else had listened and took medication that were not needed? I fear this is where our healthcare system is headed.....

chef127

John Oliver has brought attention to this "unethical" very serious practice with your dr and that blue rx pad in his pocket. He does it so well. Never miss his show. He makes me laugh but the info is really disturbing, but true.

I first became aware of this practice about 15 years ago when I was dx'ed with a neuro condition and, rx'ed a med (one of only three at the time) that cost 9,000$/mo. My neurologist was on 'vacation' often in Hawaii at a 2 hour Pharma conference and then he was free to enjoy the rest of his time vacationing. He was always sun tanned or burned. I now question all rx'ed meds which is a good thing, or bad bc the trust factor in pharma drugs is gone for me. Not to mention the motives of the drs rx'ing.

There are now about 9 different meds for that condition ranging in cost from 9,000$-14,000$/mo. I receive at least 2-3 invites a week to a pharma sponsored education dinner at a up-scale restaurant hoping to sway me to take their drugs. I sometimes go and listen.......and enjoy the free meal. If they can afford these venues, they're charging tooooo much. There is a dr, a PT, and a patient advocate available to answer questions, very well paid to dodge the nitty gritty ?????'s

It's a good thing to question all the rx's you get, but for me I just don't like what I learn about meds Cancer, heart, diabetes, etc

Maureen

cb123

The day I'd seen this show was the day after my first meeting with the oncologist. There was a Pharma Rep talking with the receptionist. She was being sent away but she was offering up her schedule for the next few days in case he needed her for anything. Philly, Vegas, but she'd be here in Phoenix thru Saturday. Slim, short skirted, well spoken, pretty girl. This sort of free lunch, gift cards, flowers, thank you gifts used to be quite prevalent in mortgage...not anymore, it's against the law. There were never any speaker fees and vacations involved because the payout wasn't high enough.

Searching through that website, I found a local doctor on my insurance plan, who's office is in a poor part of town, has taken over $66k in one year. There's one listing for over $8k for travel and lodging. That's French Riviera money. That's Bora Bora money. That's not free lunch.

I did manage to find 3 oncologists on my insurance that I can live with. 2 share an office. So off I'll go for a second opinion.

cb

chef127

Since I first learned of this practice it turned me into a skeptic and worse, a conspiracy theorist. I have a hard time accepting my drs advise and for the most part, I reject most of the meds they rx, compromising my health. Or, in my head, saving my health.

I take lots of diabetes meds (bc I can't stay away from carbs), but most cancer tx's, DMD's (disease modifying drugs), statiin drugs, and many others I just won't take. Even Nexium for acid reflux scares me. I have osteoperosis and the bone building drugs,$$$$ can do some real harm. I've lost all trust in pharma and the medical community and for me it all stems from the kick backs and high cost of meds, even tho I pay very little for rx's.

I do take LDN (low dose naltrexone) which is a fairly benign drug for cancer proliferation and MS, It cost about 30$/mo and few drs are willing to Rx it for lack of clinical trials??? There is no profit in it except for the pharmacy that compounds it.

Do what you feel you need to do, the chemo MAY save you.

Maureen

cb123

Chef,

I too lost trust a long time go. I have always been in charge of my own medical decisions. After the mast, when I was having a hard time with the anesthesia, I had the nurses stop the Percocet and put me on non-narcotic (advil) instead. I could have stayed in a drug induced fog for days. The medicos I was surrounded by didn't think that up, I had to. You have to know yourself and take care of yourself. That was a relatively small, self made medical decision compared to others we've all had to make. But nobody knows me like I know me, I just have to educate myself on these drugs. I'm glad you found something that you're comfortable with.

I re-ran my numbers with the different, conventional forms of therapy. (Insert disclaimer here - of course this is only an estimate that I'm comfortable with for my cancer. Your experiences may vary.)

Hormonal therapy, opposed to no chemo or no therapy, will lengthen my life expectancy by approx. 5 years. From 10 to 15 years from today.

Chemo, as planned by MO, will lengthen my life by approx. 7 years. From 10 to an additional 17 years from today.

When I inquired about hormonal therapy, the oncologist in question assured me that hormonal therapy would be of no use and that chemo is the way to go. Just another reason for a second opinion. These numbers don't take into account radiation, which I will be having.

It's war and we're on the front line. I believe our days are numbered anyway (with or without cancer) and we should all be enjoying the best quality of life we can give ourselves.

Momine

CB123, I agree that you have to make your decisions based on your particular set of circumstances. You should always get a second opinion. It is very useful, when you are trying to decide what to do. As a fellow ER+ stage 3 patient, I do have to say though, that you should also run those numbers to see what happens if you do chemo AND hormonal treatment. At least when I was DXed, and my docs do not take kickbacks, I checked and the system is different here anyway, it was a given that I would do chemo as well as hormone treatment. The only question was when, what and how far to go. However, I would definitely urge you to get rid of that onc and find another.

I decided to go for the max, because stage 3 is kinda close to stage 4, and until some years ago, the two of us at 3B and 3C would actually have been staged as stage 4. I figured that the more aggressive my treatment, the further I could push metastasis into the future. I more or less take it for granted that my cancer will recur somewhere down the line. My main concern is to kick that ball as far down the line as possible. The later I recur, the better the chance that somebody will have come up with a cure for this stupid disease.

Whatever you choose, I wish you strength and joy.

cb123

Momine,

That's such a good way to think about this. I'd never pictured it like that, putting cancer off into the future.

I always look at chemo as a quality of life decision. I look at death as part of life and that I've been fortunate to have had the time I've had. I've watched several family members die at younger ages than I am now. 5-10 additional years is like a golden ticket. I'll be 59 this year and we've had 3 deaths under 53. I probably wont be greedy and go through chemo just to squeak out an extra 2 years. I've lived a good life.

So far this onc has suggested AC-T which I understand is common. I was hoping for something a little bit more targeted, if anything at all, thus the extra testing. He's known me for 5 minutes and already had this plan. I requested the specific tests. The only thing he offered up, aside from the chemo, was breast cancer/lymphedema physical therapy...massage. I am JUMPING all over that!

My bucket list has 4 things on it and more massage is one of them, I really am a lucky girl, stage lllC or not.

cb

Momine

CB123, I had FEC and then Taxotere, which is similar to what they are proposing for you. There isn't anything more targeted than that really. It is all pretty standard.

I completely agree about the quality of life. My QOL was really not terrible on chemo and once I was done with chemo, I quite quickly regained my strength. So, from my perspective, it bought me, so far, 4 really good years already. I am truly not trying to convince you to go for it. It is such an individual decision. I am just saying that it isn't always the horror show many people describe.

Definitely jump on the massage! This was the best part of my treatment. I saw the most wonderful, soothing PT regularly for a year. It was an oasis for me, and she also managed to reverse the lymphedema I had at the beginning, thus vastly improving my longterm well-being. I have told my onc that all his BC patients should get PT as a matter of course. Even if they don't have lymphedema, it is worth it for the psychological boost.

cb123

Thank you so much for sharing. I believe a new oncologist has been found and PT will start in about 2 weeks. My insurance covers 30 visits to start and more if necessary. I'm going to enjoy this bit of it. 30 visits seems a lot. If it were just me off to have a massage, I might have 1 or 2 a year. But knowing there's 30 in the bank is comforting.

cb

cb123

As I'm moving on through this health care maze I've come upon something today that I want to add to this thread.

The new adjuvant health care team I've put together all work for a satellite breast cancer program of a non-profit hospital here in Phoenix. For anyone local, I'm going with Banner.

In relation to the Pharma money, I have found less than $200 worth of free lunches in the non-profit hospital team I've chosen. This is not the case with the team I was referred to by my surgeon, where I found thousands of dollars in mostly consultation fees, speaker fees and travel fees.

The group I was referred to by my surgeon is (indirectly) owned and operated by McKesson Specialty Health, a division of McKesson Corporation. Per McKesson's website:

Contact Information

Specialty Pharmaceutical Distribution Services and Office Technologies for Healthcare Providers:
800-482-6700

Specialty Pharmaceutical Distribution Services for Manufacturers:
866-951-2774

We are not only patients with an illness, we are consumers of a very expensive product. At a time in our lives when it's so hard to think straight, please try to remember to "consider the source".

Personally, I cannot help but wonder how many chemo patients that MO has to treat before he qualifies for each $2,000 Consultation Fee he's received.

Just my two cents.

cb

cb123

As you probably all can tell, I'm anti-chemo. To the bone. I'm trying to remain open minded to it because it may help keep me alive.

I see it has done well by so many of you and am grateful that you have found a way.

I don't care to randomly suffer the side effects of chemo if, in my case, they will not out weigh the benefit.

As you can see, I didn't trust the old team and have yet to consult with the new team and get their opinions, we still have pending test results and my appointments are all set for the next two weeks.

It's not only the chemo in question, but the radiation treatment, possible hysterectomy and the various types of anti-hormonal care. How can the MO be in charge of the anti-hormonals and a Gynecological Oncologal Surgeon be in charge of the oophorectomy/hysterectomy? Don't the anti-hormonal and the gynecological therapies correlate?

I'm looking for a whole body approach to adjuvant care.

cb

SpecialK

Medical oncologists are in charge of all systemic treatment, and this includes anti-hormonal drugs. Their area of specialty is focused on how these drugs affect the body as a whole, and cancer in particular. An oncological surgeon - whether breast or gyn - specializes in removing cancerous tumors from the body - sometimes along with the entire body part or area, but they don't administer systemic treatment. Removing hormone producing body parts is risk mitigation, but separate from systemic drug treatment, and also does not require an oncological surgeon unless you have cancer in that specific area.

Momine

cb123, one doc can't do everything. Surgery is a very specialized skill. When I had my ovaries removed (as part of cancer treatment), I discussed it with my two cancer docs (surgeon and MO). Then I had a consult with the surgeon who would do the physical removal of those parts. He is not an onco-surgeon, nor a gyno-surgeon, he is specialized in robot surgery. He was the best, in terms of skill and as a human. My own situation is a bit unusual in that my breast surgeon is actually my lead doc, with the MO assisting. But my breast surgeon has treated only breast cancer his whole career and does a lot of research as well. Still, he defers to the MO when it comes to the details of chemo, for example.

cb123

Thanks Ladies,

So it's the MO leading the team. He only asked if I had scheduled an appointment with the Gyn surgeon, which I did. When I asked MO about the anti-hormone he said, not in my case.

I saw some videos of robotic surgery. Pretty neat. There's also an office on the same floor as the current MO that does that type of surgery, but not for anything I need.

Looking forward to the new MO and his opinion.

I'm really looking forward to being finished with them all but that's a way off yet. I'm finished with breast surgeon this week - one down 3 to go!

cb

Momine

CB123, I am still utterly baffled as to how an MO could tell you "no hormone therapy." Do you maybe mean hormone therapy instead of chemo, is that what you asked him?

cb123

Yes,

I'm sorry. That's exactly what I asked him, hormone therapy instead of chemo.

I think I'm Stage IV with cancer in my bloodstream and lymph nodes that may have already metastasized into my lungs and vertebrae. And god forbid, I hate to think but it's a lymph node thing, metastasis to my neck or brain. (I only worry about this area because it's so close via nodes.)

I had 20 positive axillary lymph nodes of 27 removed with the largest metastatic deposit being 3.7cm in one grouping and a 1.7cm in the other grouping. It was this pretty large lump under my arm that took me to the doctor in the first place.

There's a dark spot on my T7 vertebrae and there was some sort of something found on my lungs in the CT scan. I felt further testing in those areas was warranted and asked him for those MRIs and bone scan.

Just waiting for those test results, it's been a long wait since my meeting him on the 3/25. I knew it would only be 3 weeks but it seems forever when distant metastasis, insurance company approval and appointment scheduling is involved.

I'm angry that this physician went straight to chemo without taking time to look at those potential areas, I had to point out my concerns to him on the CT scan sticking out of his file. I feel as if he doesn't care about his patients or he would have taken care of my whole body before he jumped into a prescription of chemo. That and finding that he took over $10,000 of Pharma money, sent me in search of another MO.

I'm am getting his opinion after the tests, as well as taking the test results and my medical history of cancer to a different MO for review and treatment.

Cancer sucks. It's my life and my death. I refuse to let some busy doctor, who orders an additional CT scan because he forgets we have the one in front of him, inject me with toxic chemicals. Just last week I popped into his office with an additional copy of the existing CT scan attached to a note asking him to please cancel the CT scan he's ordered.

I don't know which sucks more, being diagnosed with a deadly disease or having to struggle with people who try to take advantage of it and me via large profits.

I'm going to head out into the world today. Cancer sucks, the health care industry sucks and I don't have any appointments until tomorrow. I'm going to try to forget it exists for a minute.

cb

cb123

It's not that I don't trust their training or their intelligence.

They are busy, overworked in a highly stressful field and often profit oriented.

Researching potential MOs, I found a local MO who's bio says, I enjoy foreign travel and fine dining. You KNOW when I checked him out on https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/ that he was taking the Pharma money and a lot more than my current MO takes.

Yes, I will google you and the horse you rode in on.

Anonymous

Great topic! I believe that chemo for some women is just "for profit". Look at how long it has taken the Oncotype test to be used by even some doctors. My doctors even have discussed how chemo is a money maker for lots of doctors.

cb123

Aug242007,

I cried about still not having an oncotype ordered Monday & Tuesday. It depressed the hell out of me. I had my Primary Care refer me for one yesterday.

I'm so grateful that I have him.

He's so funny, I told him why I needed these referrals that the MO should have ordered and that I checked out all 5 of my physicians and he got nervous. Seems he's a bit of a Casanova and it shows in his online reviews.

None of my business, doesn't affect the way he treats me. If I was a Dr Hottie I'd be a Casanova too.

PCP takes zero Phama money, not even the free lunch and it was evident to me yesterday when cute girl Pharma rep stopped in while I was waiting to be seen. She was very quickly gone.

cb

Anonymous

My oncologist initially pushed for chemo, but I persuaded her to order the oncotype. It was low risk. If I had it in let's say 2 nodes, or if I had LVI or extranodal extension, I would be more open to the idea of chemo. But a tiny amount of cancer in the sentinel node was not enough for me to jump on the chemo bandwagon. Having the oncotype is a blessing and I wonder how many women (and men) would have been spared chemo if oncotype had been used.

On the other hand, my brother's oncologist is very by the book. She isn't open to new drugs like Ibrance, and she dismisses a lot of our questions because apparently she knows better. I bet I am doing more research on breast cancer than she is. She started him on a hard regimen at first and he's still dealing with its side effects. I always wonder how he would have done with a different treatment plan. He didn't seek out a second opinion and I still try to convince him that it's never too late to go see another oncologist. One that actually has experience with stage 4 male breast cancer.

I think my oncologist was initially "scaring" me into chemo because of family history, age (even though I'm post menopause), good health, but that has nothing do with the biology of my tumor. I am negative for all known breast cancer causing genes. She first said that the benefit of chemo would be 10-12 percent. But then the oncotype came and said it was probably 0% to 5% and most of my benefit would come from hormone therapy. Be your own advocate and ask for all the information. They don't tell us that cancer can actually mutate after chemo and become resistant to drugs of that type. Side effects and quality of life need to be discussed much more in the doctor's office. Having said that, my oncologist now supports my decision and is happy I'm doing well.

cb123

Thanks Ladies,

I was unable to escape today because I got a call wondering why I didn't show up for my bone scan. Which I actually did show up for and did have.

I was afraid it might be too late for the oncotype.

I really believe hormonal therapy is best for me and it's so hard for me to research without some of the info contained in that test. I don't recall exactly what it was that stopped me from moving forward but it was something found in the oncotype.

I only wish the MO would have been open minded enough to discuss anti-hormonal treatment with me in the first place instead of just nixing the whole idea.

LovingisLiving, I feel so bad for your brother. At stage 3C they call it 3rd generation chemo regimen. It is the hard core stuff. It's supposed to give you a 30% better chance at pathological complete response rate (pCR) over the other chemo regimens. It's quite the toxic cocktail.

I feel, at my advanced stage, there is no toxic cocktail that will give me pCR. I think that hormonal treatment is a kinder, gentler way of putting off my inevitable death from this disease. The estimated time difference in prognosis, barring results of outstanding tests, is only 2 years for me. Chemo would add 2 years more life to my prognosis than the anti-hormonal treatment. Now if they said chemo would add 10 years more than anti-hormonal or that chemo was my only option, that would be different.

Anti-hormonal treatment is not a party I'm looking forward to either. Just the lesser of two evils with, in my mind, with comparable results.

Now if I really get lucky, the new MO will be open to the idea. If not, I am so ready to walk off into the mountains right now.

I just got my first batch of anti-depression medication yesterday and it's too soon for it to have kicked in. I really wish I could trust the educated medical community to do what's right for me so that I wouldn't have to study it and think about it all day. It really is depressing. But I don't trust them.

cb

Anonymous

Well, they will probably have you on anti-hormonal after chemo. When do you start chemo? I'm sorry you have to deal with depression and this, but sadly a lot of times they come hand in hand But there is always hope that this chemo regimen really will get you to complete response. But I have heard of stories where people go on Femara or some other anti-hormonal and their tumors disappear and they go into remission. Usually with strong hormone positive cancers. You just never know. Are you doing radiation? Hoping for a good outcome for you! Hugs.

cb123

You are all so positive and wonderfully supportive and that's why I come here. I visited with my boy next door for a few minutes and that's always uplifting.

Because I'm BRCA positive I've been making videos for my family and friends, mainly so I don't have to tell the same stories time and time again. I get the numbers mixed up but the stories remain the same. I'd like to share this final video with you. I made this video and my decisions on April 7th.

I will not be having chemotherapy. I will be having the anti-hormonal therapy and the radiation therapy. If the new MO doesn't want to go there I'll just have to ask my PCP for the medications or the Gyn Onc/Surgeon. Having made the decisions in no way alleviates any feelings of anger or frustration I feel. It just means I made the decisions.

I'd love to put all this medical care behind me as quickly as humanly possible and get back to living the rest of my life, with cancer or without it.

My decision to not have chemo should in no way color your opinions. We each have our different situations. I try to do what works best for me and cannot begin to tell anyone else what might work for them.

This video is unlisted, please do not share outside this forum.

Thanks,

cb

sandilee

cb123- If it's any comfort, my onc probably would agree with you. He has always suggested hormonal treatments above chemo and feels that they, while not eliminating the cancer, can lead to a longer time before progression and, of course, a better quality of life. I think if you find out you have any spread to bones or organs, hormonal therapy would be the first choice standard of care, so how could it do nothing for a Stage III?. How someone can say it wouldn't do any good is such a surprise to me.

I've been Stage IV for nearly five years, and I'm on my first chemo-Xeloda. My onc is eager to get me off it once my markers stabilize and put me back on an anti-hormonal. He's for quality of life, but also thinks hormonal drugs have a good track record for maintenance.

cb123

Thank you Sandilee.

It's a comfort that you shared it as well. A large part of my decision was based on the stage IV standard of care combined with those 20 cancerous nodes. Most of the available literature caps off at 10 cancerous nodes. It seems odd to me that people would even argue that choice when I'm so borderline and chemo is so much more aggressive.

Hundreds of pages were reviewed but it all came down to these 3. If anyone wants them, here are the Standard of Care links: ASCO Cancer.org

And this is what led me directly to my anti-chemo thoughts: Cancer.net

• Generally, chemotherapy should continue until the disease worsens if a patient is not experiencing unmanageable side effects. At some point, chemotherapy may no longer be able to control the cancer's growth. When this happens, patients may choose to stop chemotherapy while continuing to receive palliative care.

I just don't think it's a good idea to continue chemotherapy indefinitely, "until the disease worsens". I don't think I should do that to my body or my life.

My anti-hormonal therapy research is leading me to both the letrozole and the Ibrance that I see in your signature. I might be doing something right.

I hope you all have a great day and get to do something non-cancer related.

cb

chef127

cb123,

Your insightful video rang so true for me and you said EVERYTHING I want to say, (((((xox))))), however I could not be as gentle as you. From the beginning of my CA journey I almost never took the advise of my team. MX no thanks, chemo F$$%#$$ NO, HT I just can't do it, although I'm rethinking tamox after 4.5 years NED giving the fact that the 5-10 years poses an increased chance of recurring. I'm still not convinced it will keep me from another dx of cancer. I would be even angrier if I recurred after stopping my beloved estro.

I hope the 20+ LN's did not run amuck and a dx of stage IV is not in your future and the AI tx does its thing for you.

Enjoy your life and I think you are making all the right decisions for YOU. You are brave.

xoxMaureen

muska

Hi cb123, let me start by saying that I totally understand your feeling of frustration, anger and unfairness - we all experienced this at the beginning when we were just diagnosed. Of course you can choose whatever treatment you feel works best for you or no treatment at all (had an example in my own family and the result was horrible.) That being said, I don't quite understand your anti-chemo stand and painting all chemo treatments and the industry as a whole with the same very negative brush. Btw, most chemo agents including taxol that you were probably recommended, were derived from natural substances. There is nothing 'alternative' in the hormonal + ibrance combination you say you are willing to take and the side effects of the latter are quite serious. Actually, if I were to choose between six months of chemo and two years on ibrance, I would probably chose chemo and leave the ibrance for later if needed.

Speaking of chemo, I think you could benefit greatly by having it. The side effects are often minimal and the preventive drugs that are available work wonderfully. Many women myself including continued working through chemo. Honestly, radiation that you are about to start was more difficult for me psychologically than chemo.

Best of luck to you.

Edited for typos.

cb123

There's the rub,

I don't find this at all to be unfair. It appears to be a genetic luck of the draw. I've been fortunate to have had more years already on this Earth than many in my family. My frustration and anger do not lie in the cancer or the diagnosis but in the way that my treatment is being handled by the medical community.

I don't feel I'm newly diagnosed, I've had time to get used to the idea via my family experiences and my own lumpectomy experience in 2014.

While I feel chemotherapy is the perfect medical treatment for some, I don't feel it's right for everyone. I feel in my bones that it is not right for me.

My frustration and anger lie with the medical community herding us, like so many sheep, into this highly profitable treatment. If you want to see my anger in action this morning, try my most recent post here: Port? What port?

This aint Mayberry and I am not questioning Marcus Welby.

I HAVE TO question these medical authorities, it's MY life. My due diligence has brought up some unsettling information, unsettling to me anyway. I'm trusting my gut. It's telling me to run away.

This post is in this forum because of it's anti-chemo nature, not because of any alternative/holistic beliefs I may have. It's only alternative in that it goes against the standard. I too, go against the standard.

I could never explain ever detail that has brought me to my decision, I am comfortable with my decision. It's what works for me.

My ride will be here in about 20 minutes, so off I go. Trying not to yell at the surgeon who referred me to that MO.

I hope you all have a good day,

cb

muska

Hi cb123, I totally understand. You mention you had a lumpectomy in 2014. It's not in your profile. Do you mind my asking what treatment you got in 2014 and what the diagnosis was?