Do Doctors Have To Be Truthful???

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lovemyfriend
lovemyfriend Member Posts: 35
edited June 2014 in IBC (Inflammatory Breast Cancer)
Do Doctors Have To Be Truthful???
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  • lovemyfriend
    lovemyfriend Member Posts: 35
    edited June 2009

    After reading lots of your posts, it appears your doctors give you truthful results.  Have any of you ever experienced the opposite?  Isn't hiding information unethical/illegal?

    My friend, BJ, is almost 2 months into her dx of IBC, Stage IV with mets to bones, brain, and lungs.  Treatments to date have been 3 weeks of brain radiation and along with Aromasin.  BJ was told a double mastectomy will be done in July.  However, she has not had any chemo.  Doctors are giving her hope for the future.

    In another post some have suggested BJ is just being pacified and her prognosis is poor.  However, so many medications seem to be available to give her hope.  Am I just not looking at this realistically?  

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  • konakat
    konakat Member Posts: 6,085
    edited June 2009

    I do believe doctors have to be truthful -- if they're not they can be sued.  I have noticed that mine never mentioned my prognosis (approx # years left) until I asked.  She tries to cheer me up by listing the number of drugs there are available for me.  Sometimes I think they edit info based on what's most important to convey in the appointment with you. 

    I suggest that your friend gets a copy of her health record -- then she will have all the info her doctors have and what they think.  She will, however, need to be prepared for a lot of information that isn't sugar-coated.  And perhaps she should get a second opinion to help her get confidence in the treatment she's receiving.

    I hope this helps,

    Elizabeth

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  • FloridaLady
    FloridaLady Member Posts: 2,155
    edited June 2009

    All stage iv patients are treated pretty much the same even if you have IBC.  Try posting of the Stage IV section for input from ladies with these kinds of mets. Very few people in this section is stage IV. This is because we learn more from other being treated the same way.

    I've seen many doctor's not be truthful because they know the patient does not want to hear what they have to say.  Or the news will give them no hope and they will give up to early.  And for so many they don't know until you try treatment.  The bottom line is how much disease do you have. Rarely can the same chemo work on multiple mets. Another thing is the patients health before starting treatment. So many things can change in one day with cancer.

    Best to you and BJ.

    Flalady

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