Thoughts on should I change MO

Jettie

Hi all,

I am a little annoyed again at my MO, he seemed to blow me off today when in went in for my appointment and blood work.

A little history...

For a about a year I've been having trouble failing asleep, but when I did was normally about 6 hours sleep, so was taking trazodone every now and then, as I needed to sleep before 2am so I could work.

The past 4 appointments with him when I go in for blood work, I have seen him beforehand and gone over the side effects, hence having 1 round of TCHP, 2 rounds of TCH, and 2 rounds of THP. He was worried more about my rash than I was, i was more worried about the constipation, fatigue, lead legs, insomnia, and only being able to sleep in 2 hour chunks at a time

So a couple of weeks ago I got him to prescribe ambien (5mg), which didn't work the 1st time I took it, so took 1.5 tablets the second time, which worked to get me to sleep, but I still woke up 2 hours later, which was arghhhhh. So asked for the ER version to help keep me asleep, I did tell him about having to take (7.5mg) to actually fall asleep, he said yes yes the 6.25mg ER would work fine... I was skeptical, and no they didn't get me off to sleep, so the ER element was pointless.

Today's visit.....

I went for my PET scan last week, and was expecting him to go through that with me today, so was surprised when i got to the office to find out that I wasn't being expected to be seen.

So I was seen, and he printed out the report for me and when I asked what it meant, told me the tumor was dead, and that I should make an appointment to see my BS, which i already have in July. I thought he might of said more than that, but that's all I got after my question.

I mentioned that the Ambien ER didn't work for me, and that I had even tried benadrly and that just made me nauseous, and his response was, weren't you having issues prior to chemo.... So I just gave up at that point and decided it wasn't worth mentioning that my neuropathy seems to be getting worse and have now having hot flashes. There has also not been any discussion on what happens after the the final infusion next week.

• Am I being overly sensitive, because the side effects for me have been harsh, or is this truly horrible service?

ElaineTherese

Hi!

I have also suffered from insomnia, and my oncologists have also sought to discourage me from long-time use of Ativan, Xanax, and Ambien for addressing it. They (have had two since the first left her practice to join a new one) were willing to give me small supplies of these meds during chemo to help with my sleep because the steroids involved were keeping me up. When my current MO refused to authorize a refill, I started taking Melatonin, which has done the trick. I have also altered my exercise and daily schedule so that I'm actually sleepy when I go to bed. In retrospect, I'm glad that my MOs discouraged long-term use of these drugs because they're not always easy to quit. But, I understand the need for sleep, and how lack of sleep makes it difficult to go to work and to function like a normal human being.

That said, your MO should be willing to listen to your concerns. Whether it's insomnia or hot flashes or neuropathy, he should be listening and trying to think of ways to help. Also, if your active cancer really is gone per the PET, he could have had the lumpectomy/mastectomy discussion with you. Chemo destroyed all my active cancer, and I went with a lumpectomy. It was nice to have my oncologist's input on this decision.

It's up to you -- remember that you may have this oncologist for years. I'm out almost six years since diagnosis, and I still see my oncologist every six months. I'm glad that she listens and provides input on treatment decisions. Good luck!

Jettie

Thanks ElaineTherese, I was only looking for a short term fix for the 2hour and awake again issue so could at least sleep properly every couple of days. melatonin unfortunately dont seem to have an effect on me

I guess I started to lose faith a while back when i asked for something to relieve pain from constipation, and when i got the actual meds, it was my allergy tablets ( i have bought them OTC for so long had forgot the actual medicine name so it didnt ring a bell till i saw it) the look of confusion on my face when my daughter brought them home for me was priceless and he swore blind he gave me a prescription for something else, even though his staff actually faxed it though to the pharmacy for me the following day as hadn't heard from cvs to say it was filled I thought I was going nuts and lost the prescription... but checked the paper copy he gave me.

I think I may ring my BS tomorrow for suggestions, as I like him so far, so he may have some recommendations.