Need some advice, please!

Hi, Bonski, I think that it is more normal than we would like, to have the initial oncologist meeting to be exceedingly brief, mine was, and I have read other women say so too. And, there is absolutely no reason to wait so long, good or bad. Sometimes waiting is the hardest part. but as another lady on here has said, " Don't go there till you get there", and it is just a good time now to take a few slow deep breathes, and the future will soon come. You did some excellent chemo, and now you are on some very strong pills. The problem with MRI's is, they show EVERYTHING, without being too specific at all about what it really is. And in my reading, it also takes quite a long time for something to be big enough to even image. A good approach would be to wait and see. A big and gentle hug to you, and I am sorry, yeah, it's hard to wait to hear.

The original posts that you do when you start a topic, never show up! It took me a year to figure that out! ") !!!

HI Bonski, I depends on your center and your oncologists practice as to frequency of visits and whom you see.  I see my oncologist at  every visit, and my appointments are not rushed and I feel well cared for.  The nurse only checks me in and takes quick updates. The majority of my time is with the oncologist who also performs all exams.  I have only seen the NP on one occasion and that was when I needed to reschedule and the doctor wasn't available. However, I will say I felt well cared for by the NP as well. At some centers they switch between Onco and NP every other visit, other offices you only see the NP. 

If you're not happy with the format of care there, call another oncology office and ask what their protocol is. That is definitely the beauty of our care here in the US. If you don't like your doctor for some reason there are plenty of others to choose from. You need to find a good fit for you and your needs.  It does appear though they were attentive to your needs as related to investigating the pain/issue and ordering scans. As to review of scans, my office requires the doctor to sign off prior to upload to the system. However that happens within the same work day as they receive results.  Which is generally same day or next day of the scan.

 

Good luck with your results, I hope everything turns out fine for you and these are not cancerous issues. 

Hello Bonskie - sorry you're going through all this.  The waiting is hard and generates a lot of anxiety.  But don't let your mind play tricks on you.  The receptionist cannot give you results, good or bad, so try not to go down that path.  Here in Quebec, even the nurse cannot give results (which drives me insane!!!) and there is no such thing as on line results - which is a shame.  Following my last bone scan, the nurse told me my MO asked for an urgent appt in ortho but wouldn't tell me why - well that got my mind going for 5 days until the MO called me.  It turned out she just wanted to be extra careful because I'm planning a trip.  All my results were stable.  I never see the nurse - it's always my MO who takes as much time as required and is very helpful and patient with my questions, and for me that's reassuring  I only call the nurse when something pops up and she relays to MO.  Here's hoping you get good news.  Thoughts and prayers coming your way.  Keep us posted.

Hugs, Linda

Nor mine Bonski

Sandy, those darn lung nodules are a pain in the you know what!!!!

Do you have a copy of the pet scan? If it showed up on that,it shoud have a suv number. That is how active the lesion is. The higher the number, the more likely it is cancer.
You will not find a dr who will go cut it out without knowing what it is.
I don't think waiting a few months is going to hurt.
I had an 11 cm liver tumor ( which is Huge). Yet, because I responded to treatment, I am doing well. "catching it early" really doesn't mean much when dealing with stage 4.

Laurie

I think your bigger issue needing attention is anxiety and I hope you can find some help with that. The cancer if it is back is what it is but the anxiety is what you live with and the fears are very debilitating. I would work on finding the right doctor for that issue and the cancer concerns might fade a bit. I think you are very lucky that your oncologist responds to you as he does since the timing wasn't really that bad as many of us know. Hopefully when you get the anxiety treated the rest of your time with the oncologist and receptionists should flow a bit smoother. All the best to you. Anxiety can be a nightmare.

Bonski, I will keep you in my thoughts and say a little prayer for you. I am in your position myself, waiting to have 2 lung nodules rescanned. I hate have scans or labs on a Friday because it will mean waiting over the weekend for results. Like everything else, hurry up and wait! I hope your biopsy results are NED!