Medical Industrial Complex

...... I remember my onc. coming into the room, bursting into tears and hugging me.. "we can't cure your cancer she said'  I told her to MAN UP.. that I had probably known it all along.  She looked at me quizzically  and got back to work.. looking at her charts and explaining her next level of treatment. 

I wouldn't trade her for the world.  she's the one with all the complimentary med info in her office.supplements. diets, critics on different approaches.. She is 1/2 Chinese, which probably means not a thing.  I just like her.

so no.. i don't like being vehementally disagreed with.  there is a forum protocol which calls for respect and politeness all the across the interwebs... or at least there should be. 

or as MOTC would say

I think we can agree that people with different opinions should not be ostracized.  Arbitration is not free in the real world but why pay for it here? Sock puppets can easily be identified by address.. so ganging up will not be so easy.

I love my Onc too - he is DH's onc too - we both love him. I keep meeting other people (a couple of different people at work) who idolise him. One woman's husband had that nasty testicular cancer like Lance Armstrong and my onc saved him - he is now 11 years out!! He also lied to the government to get me Zometa infusions for free. He's wonderful!!!

Hummm, presently watching Whale wars...

Now, that explains a whole lot doesn,t ?? Somebody else earlier on this thread said they had worked for years with research onc, another poster works at MIT. Britchick, all the nurses, roll call !

Annette, I respect you because you respect me and I told you so. I remember very clearly the event.



Unfortunately, a lot of water has gone under the bridge since. Don,t know if you are aware.

i think, Susan, Luan, you two should tour Africa or anyother place where women die in childbirth regularly. Or children die of AIDS because there aren't affordable retrovirals (and yes, I know corporate medicine is at the root of that). Or go to Haiti, where there aren't enough doctors to help folks injured and maimed in the earthquake.

i seriously mean this. wake up and see how the poor live and die without proper medical care. enough navel gazing about how you've been wronged by the "medical industrial complex" - because you haven't, darlings. the only thing that's wronged you ---if you're truly a patient/survivor-- is cancer.

Glad you had a great weekend and you are right about this Rainbowpony. My tumour had been growimg for at least 10 years, yet, when it was found, I had to undergo surgery within two weeks. (BTW, absolutely adore my BS, did not get so lucky with the onco who lost his wife to ovarian cancer right at my second treatment, had absolutely no time for me) Our system here just does not work like the one in the US. You do what your doctor tells you to do or you find yourself without a doctor. They don,t have time to waist explaining, bla, bla. You get 15 minutes, that,s it. I cannot even get a second opinion on my radiation pneumonitis. Was told that both pneumologists would have to confer. One does not step on another,s turf.

Why is it unbelievable that I post here?  The title of the thread is medical industrial complex, of which I am a proud member.  So who is more qualified to post on this topic then me?  At least I'm honest about who I am, and post data to support what I say.  I don't go around making a bunch of sh*t up, which is more than I can say about some of the sock puppets on this thread. 

Luan, you really need to change doctors.  There really are some wonderful ones out there who will treat you like a person rather than a statistic or an experiment.  

Edited to ask if you have had your scan yet.  I hope you get good news from it. 

I fire doctors who are not excellent. I think that is something every patient should do. Your life is in their hands.

Pip, i cannot change onco just like that. One, you have to be referred and a new onco will not take me as his patient if i,m under the care of one of his colleagues. Just had the experience with the pneumologists. My cousin went from the english institutions to the french and is crying now for doing so.

Went for the scan on Friday and seeing the onco on Tuesday, thanks for asking

Luan, are you from a smaller community then?  I am fortunate enough to have several oncologists available within 1/2 from my home.  I know my gp would gladly give me a referral to another one if I asked.  Actually, she has asked if I like mine as she was fairly new and my gp did not know much about her.  

I will keep my fingers crossed for Tuesday.  Please let me know. 

I am a young woman that wishes I had been "over-treated." At 33, I had a 9cm DCIS with one microinvasion, zero nodes. Had a mastectomy (tumor was too large for lumpectomy). No one on my medical team thought chemo was a good idea. DCIS, clear margins, no nodes? Mastectomy seemed like more than enough. I did take Tamoxifen, but my oncologist gave it as an option, she didn't think it would decrease my risk of recurrence by that much, but thought we'd try it and if it didn't have side effects I could take it a few years.

Two years later and I was diagnosed with extensive mets in bones and liver. Chemo has been keeping me alive with a good quality of life since then. I can't help but wonder: if I had done chemo back at the beginning, would it have stopped the mets from forming? Or at least bought me some more time?

I'm 36 years old now and have Stage IV, terminal cancer. My oncologist is a world-famous doctor and researcher and I feel lucky to have her. We do conventional treatments but try to balance things so that I am able to enjoy my life. She has a naturopath that comes to the cancer center every Wednesday to follow her and sit in on patient visits. I see this naturopath and get complimentary care-- supplements, etc. to help mitigate the side effects from chemo.

I don't believe chemo is the best choice for everyone. And I support every woman who choses not to have it. But Stage IV really opened my eyes to the value of chemotherapy in extending life in those who choose that path. I have lunch with friends, have taken trips to Hawaii, and get out and do things every day. Right now I'm getting ready for my book club to come over where will will eat, drink wine, and laugh. I'm grateful for every day that chemo is "buying" for me. I think the Stage IV gals are living proof that chemo has a place in cancer treatment. 

I report all white lies.

I also reported two threatening posts.

Everyone, don't let rainbow/susan put you on the defensive. She went to the hospital and had surgery and lived to tell the tale of "don't go to the hospital, treat yourself" (paraphrasing).

I don't care who anyone works for, as long as they say what is really on their mind -which I have not one iota of doubt annettek is doing. 

People who lie should not be posting and should be banned from BCO. I am sick of this. It is detrimental to BCO's mission.

Anyone is entitled to their opinion on treatment, including the contention that chemo is not a desirable treatment. I welcome all views myself. I am a big skeptic too. But no one is entitled to lie. You are entitled to manipulate, but you are also entitled to get called out on it.

I do not want to die regretting the things I did not do because I thought it would bring the cancer back. I KNOW I will not die saying I did not have enough wheat grass or high colonics and I do not want to die saying I did not have enough fun or chocolate and I will try really hard to make sure that does not  happen.