What person at the hospital would you call...?

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MiniMacsMom
MiniMacsMom Member Posts: 595
edited June 2014 in Stage III Breast Cancer

So here is the back story.  I am BRCA 2 positive and an MDA patient.  I am about two seconds from switching at MDA.  Love my OB ONC and my Rad onc down there, starting to HATE my MO.  So basic guidelines from BRCA, especially after having had cancer state scans every 6 mo.   Mammo-6mo-mri-6mo-mammo for essentially forever.  Anyway,  my MO down there wants yearly mammos and MRIS once every 3 years.  My ob gyn onc who is the head of the hereditary cancer center said to follow the 6 mo schedule.  So my Breast Mo never scheduled the MRI call teh OB Gyn onc and she scheduled one.  Our tickets for our flight are for tues night to Friday afternoon.  They scheduled the appt for tuesday at 8am.  Called the scheduler.  She says there are no appts available for Wed.  Asked her to look at Thursday... Not getting much response. Its 3 weeks out for scheduling the MRI but at this point we are going to take a $500 hit on additional fees on tickets.  So I called the social worker and haven't heard back.  Would you A: call someone else and if so who  B: switch MOs at MDA to one who will order correct scans  C: switch hospitals to sloan kettering.  This in not the first time I have extreme scheduling issues.  they tried to schedule me to appts one in april and one in May and even 2 months out couldn't reschedule them to be at the same time, so I skipped one.  If they can't get the MRI rescheduled, I am not going to go down this round at all.  I will call my local and get him to schedule one locally.  (the reason I don't do that is that I am already an MDA patient, I'm young and have a long time for this, teh radiologiest who reads the scans doesn't speciallize in cancer like at major hospitals... and I have already had parts of my cancer miss-read by local radiologists so I am a little gun shy.) 

Sorry for this but I am soo >>>> Fustrated with all this.  I really can't stand the thought of having to parent my MO down there.  And he needs it, I really have to check my schedule all the time to make sure he orders what he says he will, ect. 

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  • Denise-G
    Denise-G Member Posts: 1,777
    edited June 2013

    Hi Minimacsmom -  Good to see you here again - and so sorry for the scheduling troubles.  I remember corresponding with you while you were getting treatment at MDA!! 

    My friend lives here in Ohio and went to MDA for BC treatment as they saved both of her children's lives, and her daughter lives in Houston.  She did switch MOs while there for similar reasons.  She is very happy now.

    As you know, your life and your continuing life is in your MO's hands.  There are plenty to choose from there.  Do you want to be doing this in 5 years and wishing you would have switched?  

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  • sewingnut
    sewingnut Member Posts: 1,129
    edited June 2013

    I think someone is not doing their job correctly if they were unable to schedule your appts together. I would call and ask who takes care of patient complaints and talk to them. You usually get more action when you start at the top. Top people don't like to be bothered and it will filter down.

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  • Outfield
    Outfield Member Posts: 1,109
    edited June 2013

    MMM, I really like my MDA MO.  I went there late in the game - my insurance at the time of diagnosis wouldn't let me go out of my city - but I've been glad I did.  I'm not BRCA+, but I did have an aggressive Stage III IDC and so far I've been glad to be connected to a clinic where I can see someone who works with breast cancer all day long.   She's smart and reasonable.  

    So far I haven't gotten any care there, just go every 6 months and she does some blood tests, makes recommendations.  Her recommendations have definitely changed my local care at times.  My most recent visit, which was this week, I took her some locally-done scans for review.  They have said they will read outside scans: this is the first time it was relevant and I don't know if it's been completed yet.  

    They certainly have enough MO's there that you should be able to switch.  Why keep someone you don't like?  

    I do agree the scheduling system is a pain.

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  • MiniMacsMom
    MiniMacsMom Member Posts: 595
    edited June 2013

    I think I am going to switch Drs. but stay at MDA for now.  I talked to the social worker and she tried to says that I have to have the MRI before I see Dr. A.  I said I don't care about seeing Dr. A I care about the scans.  I said why not swithc my appt with Dr A.  So she said she would email the nurse yesterday.  No changes this morning so I called and started a formal complaint with a patient advocate.  Within 2 hours of starting that process my scans got changed.  So I will go see everybody this time but in December switch primary MOs.  If you have any recs for MDA mos please PM me.  :)  Thanks for the support. 

    This has not been the only crazy in my life right now so I have significantly less tollerance. 

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  • jennyboog
    jennyboog Member Posts: 1,322
    edited June 2013

    I am on my 4th onc. (some not by my own doing) and have found one I'm happy with and I have no regrets.  I hope you find one you're happy with.

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