Is My Oncologist Too Agressive?
Comments
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Barb - I have been out of town and am just seeing your post. I am so sorry you are having so much pain. And....if I'm guessing right the more you suffer with pain, the more you think about it, which makes it seem worse. I'm saying that b/c I suffer with AS and just had a recent flare up, the dr's changed meds, my pain got worse and I thought bone mets - it was all I could think about, making the pain much more amplified. I had a nuclear bone scan last week - it came back clean (other than the issues I already know of). I am still in pain, but it's not on my mind constantly. I know it's hard, but if there is anyway you can get something to ease the pain so that you can do something or think of something besides the pain it may help you mentally. As for all of the test - I don't know it seems like a lot, but then at the same time don't we all want to make sure? Maybe the onc had a patient a long time ago that he missed something on and doesn't want to make that same mistake again. My mom has a dr that early in his career feels he could have prevented something and didn't, he is very aggressive, but very good at what he does and has patients that wait 2 and 3 hrs to see him.
((((hugs)))) I hope that you can find pain relief as well as mental relief from all of this soon and again, I am so sorry you're struggling right now.
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Barb....Been thinking about you all day.....Hang in there......althou I always hated all the scans when I had a scare.....there is peace after you get the results and everything is fine.....it's just getting to that.Lotsa prayers coming your way that all is good and this is just a small blip in the road.Jacqueline
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Hang in there girl...We are all here for you!
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I had a pain in my hip and my oncologist ordered a whole body bone scan and
an MRI of the hip area...he said there is a specific side effect of arimidex
and problem in the specific to the hip...
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Hi Barb- So sorry for your scare and it is certainly understandable that you need to investigate further. Having said that, I recalled an article I recently read saying that Americans get most of their radiation exposure from medical scans. Even the Radiologists are now concerned about too much cumulative exposure which they know can cause secondary cancers. I have had many scans and will shortly have radiation when I finish chemo. I think it is wise for all of us to keep track of our radiation exposure and ask if there are alternatives (MRI or ultrasound don't have radiation). We all face a lifetime of monitoring. Of course I want to beat this primary BC, but I SURE don't want to get a secondary cancer from overexposure to diagnostic radiation tests. I also wonder many of the "routine" scans are necessary or just because of medical liability. Best of luck to you Barb! Here's the article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/14/radiation-health-american_n_611035.html
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I went for the first group of scans today. Still with the pain but glad it will all be looked into by the end of this week. The worst is waiting to find out. Not knowing is horrible. I so hope it's all from the Anostrozole and previous back issues flaring up. It just seems that pain meds don't even take the edge off, and I don't want to go to prescription pain meds. I feel like I walk like a 90 year old women when I get up from a sitting or laying down position.
Barb
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Prayers for you Barbs....I am thinking of you! Hang in there...
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Hi Barb,
I was thinking of you today and hoping all went well with the first tests. Do you have any kind of pain killers to help at this point? Don't be shy about asking. When I was having serious pain during tx the onc gave me oxycodone and it really did help. Do you have an appt to go over all the results at one time or will they call you with each one?
(((Hugs)))) and love,
Sharon
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Barb ~ I just reread your original post and had another thought. Have you been on any of the bone building drugs -- Fosamax or Boniva or Reclast??? (and I think there may be a couple more) What jumped out at me tonight is that your pain has been in your upper thigh bone. You know, there's been some press recently about thigh fractures due to those drugs, and pain in the thigh bone can be a precursor to that sort of problem.
Just something I thought I'd ask, although it sounds like your screening is moving along, and you'll soon have some answers. Thinking of you ~ Deanna
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Barb: Deanna might have a point here. I have been on Arimidex and later Aromasin and began to walk like a 90 yr old. At one point I got up and just about went down on my knees the pain was so bad. It was after I was put on Fosamax for a short period that the pain went away. Just wanted to pass it on.
Wishing you the best possible outcome!
Susie
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Thoughts are with you this week Barb.
Peace, strength, love n hugs. chrissy
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Shanagirl.....thinking of you...glad to see your post.....
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Thinking of you , hope the rest of the tests go well.
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sending prayers and good thoughts.*** hang in there barb; i know....so hard.
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Praying for clear scans all the way.
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Hoping the week goes quickly and you get good news soon.
Moissy
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A long day today with all the scans. The needles really bothered me today. They have such a hard time finding my little veins in my one arm to inject the contrast and radioactive whatever. I'm wondering what all this means. I know they can't cure Breast Cancer and I am stage III a which means the cancer cells travelled to my nodes. So now the search is on to see if it's gone any where else, or if the scans show nothing then does that mean I am "in remission" or NED? And if they do find something in my bones or somewhere then that means I'm Stage IV? Ugg, I'm tired, I think I'll take an Ambien tonight. Thank you Sherri for being here and all of you with your caring words. I love all you BC sistas.
Barb
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I am with Sherri.....I never wait for my scans......I did the chemo......my husband does the doctors.....he gets them to do a "wet read" and we get the results right away......he knows I am a basket case waiting for them (and he doesn't want to live with that..LoL) It can be done.
One time one of the techs said something that I "thought" implied the cancer was in my bones. I was a wreck..all the doctors were gone.....called my husband and he got a jewish doctor to come in and read the scans ----I found out that it was a jewish holiday and all the doctors had gone home...he got one in........you gotta love him.
I've got my fingers and toes crossed that this is nothing cancer-wise. Keep us posted and know we are all in your corner.
Jacqueline
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Barb, I think you are fortunate to have an onco who is so thorough and is investigating every possibility.....it is just a shame they couldn't get you in to have the tests done right away. Waiting is the hard part...for me not knowing is a lot worse than knowing. Imagination is a bad thing when it comes to cancer....I seem to be unable to avoid thinking the worst case scenario. And when I do get results that are not what I wanted them to be, I just tell myself that I am really no different than I was last week other than the fact I now know and that now they will hopefully be able to treat the problem. My lst onco listened to me complain about pain in my sternum for over two years and every time she would come up with an explanation for it, but did not do scans and it would always go away so I believed her when she said it could not possibly be the cancer. It was only when the pain came and did not subside that I told her we had to do something and she ordered the bone scan which showed both the upper and midrum sections of my sternum to be full of cancer. I am nor trying to scare you or say this is what they will find with your scans, but at least they are going to find out. I am sure if mine had been discovered earlier it might have only been in my bone and not my liver and lung. I now have an onco like yours.....when I complain, it's off for another scan or test and I am so thankful he stays on top of things. I am praying yours will be nothing, but at least you will know. There is always the possibility the pain could be from the aromatase inhibitors....maybe women have severe pain with those. Easy for me to say, but try not to think about it too much.....get in a comfortable position if you can find one, take pain meds if you have them and watch movies or read until next week. Prayers help and you have a lot of them coming your way from the women on these boards. Marybe
add on.....Wow, Iguess I was not paying attention to dates and did not see the last posts you wrote....you have already had some of the scans and I thought they were not until next week. Good for you, you are closer to finding out what is going on. I have found they usually read them that day and you can get the results the next day....I always go get a copy. Maybe I don't understand what every word means, but I know enough to be able to tell if it's good or bad. Still saying my prayers.
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Just wanted to let you know that I'm thinking about you and hoping everything is going OK.
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Just thinking of you and hoping for a speedy result.
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Thinking of you and hoping for clear scans.
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Hope you rest well tonight. Thinking about you and praying the results are good!
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We are waiting with you, Barb! {{hugs}}
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Positive energy being sent your way )))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
Susie
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Tomorrow morning I will begin more scans, finally be finished with the last scan in the afternoon. I am not confident that I will have any answers before the weekend because It's Friday. So the weekend is going to be spent waiting. My onc already told me he wanted me to make an appt for Tuesday afternoon next week. He had me make this appt before my scans were even scheduled, so maybe I can call his office on Monday and talk to the onc nurse and plead with her to have him call me, I always think the worst and in my mind I am believing that he wanted me to make the appt right away because he was expecting mets and wants to tell me in person. I so hate this, and I feel like a BC patient, totally.
Barb
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Oh yeah, feeling like a "patient" stinks. Sherri is giving good advice...maybe you can at least get an answer on some of your tests from early in the week by tomorrow. Try not to assume the worst just because you have an appt. on Tuesday.
If your doc scheduled this appt. before you even had any scans, he wouldn't have known if there were mets or not. He probably just wanted to have you scheduled so you were assured of some time with him next week. The waiting is torture, but try to do something else over the weekend to channel your mind a little if you can. We are all thinking of you and wishing the best.
I think your idea of trying to plead through the nurse is spot on. Good luck!
Moissy
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hoping and praying for you Shana.
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Thinking of you!!
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Wishing and hoping for GOOD outcome!
Susie
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