STEAM ROOM FOR ANGER

Again, I'm not alone. Thank you for sharing.

I finally calmed down and made an appointment with the surgeon that the PCP referred me to for a second opinion. Outside of this health care group.

It occurred to me that in 2014, when I searched out the best surgeon in town, I chose her because of her position on lumpectomies and taking an extra surgical margin. This time I'm having a mastectomy. She may not be the best surgeon in town for that and I may be going though support staff hell for no reason.

Just Jean, My PCP has me coming in once a month whether I like it or not, until further notice. You might just schedule yourself that way for awhile. After the first month, all of my appointments seem to be booked far enough in advance to be at my convenience.

MoreShoes: I take these stupid anti-anxiety medications so I can remain calm with the staff. Period. I don't have that sort of patience.

Deacon Lady, Poor thing. You would think someone might have figured it out and called over to the pharmacy during the first hour you waited. That's sort of what happened here. A two week delay in ordering the CT scan is causing issues now, three weeks later. I caught on at the end of week 2 and pushed it to happen.

I really wonder if they have enough patients to be this rude/ineffective. I know this is expensive medical care and I can shop elsewhere. Do they not need the business? I have no idea how much my upcoming necessary chemotherapy costs, but there are 5 or 6 excellent options in the greater Phoenix Metro area outside of this medical group. Surgery is expensive too and if I leave this doctor because of her rude staff, the associated hospital is going to miss out on that money too.

I'm ranting on again.

Thank you for being here today and for sharing, I don't feel so alone.

cb

cb1504,

What kind of snide remarks do the surgeon's office support staff make? That's awful by the way.

Anger is finding out by ACCIDENT in September by the radiologist that I had another area to be biopsied that wasn't done as it was supposed to during my lx. Biopsy was finally done last week. Results should be in tomorrow...it's been a week of hell playing the waiting game for something that should have been done last year!!! Like seriously WTF? How did all my DRs not notice it wasn't done...???? How did nobody tell me? Even if this nothing...the mental wreck and the pain of doing a stereotactic biopsy on a tight radiated breast (with implants) is just not even funny. Like F#%K!!!!

But JJ,

The attorney also mentioned that the statute of limitations here in AZ for this sort of thing is 2 years from discovery. He urged me to get another legal opinion. Don't let my experience influence your actions.

cb

Aw, thanks April!

I am not in Canada NE Ohio here.

My old PCP always had appointment slots open each day for sick patients. She's left the Cleveland Clinic and moved and I miss her SO much.

I have an appointment with the newer PCP next week. Be assured that this WILL be a topic of conversation. I consider this as totally unacceptable! Because of this, I have been subjected to an antibiotic treatment that I am allergic to and it's been a tough few days.

JJ

I am sick and tired of hearing that I should be rejoicing now that chemo and surgeries are over and I am cancer free. I have pretend boobs! I am moody and damn it! I don't care. I don't feel thankful. I feel robbed. I feel that a year of my life is gone and not coming back.

I wish I could be grateful that I am alive and well again but I don't. I miss feeling strong and whole. Any ideas on how to move on?

Janel15 you have every right to feel that way. You are not alone in this. Up until recently I too was consumed with those feelings and I was depressed too. There is a thread call "why was I stronger during treatment". I found it very helpful. Everyone there is going through or has gone through what you experiencing. Take care.

I will chime in here too - I just "celebrated" (not really) two years from my surgery. It took me a hell of a long time (and some rx drugs) to get where I am today. It takes a good 18-24 months after treatment is over to feel better - physically (that happens a little sooner) and mentally (seems like it took forever). When I was told that it sounded like an eternity. And you know what, it WAS an eternity. And now that I'm finally really feeling better it seems like my year of cancer was ages ago. It gets better. really, it does. BUT it sucks while you are in it.

Hugs all around.

Jen

Hugs to you JJ! 🌈

If one more "blame the victim" study is cited in front of my eyes this week, I am going to scream! BMI is a correlation to lymphedema? How does that make any sense at all? It has really gotten to me at this point. I have to separate myself from all of this crap about my BC and my future risk for BC is my fault for eating a steak once a while?

Eat lettuce, stay thin and less BC risk? Umm, ok. explain all of the lovely young thin vegan women walking around without their breasts or who are losing their lives to this disease. They ate well, exercised, had their baby at the right age, breast fed, no GMO food and on and on. Yet, there they are, fighting this rotten disease. Ok off my soap box. Today it really got to me!

BTW, the person who cited the study is a wonderful person who means very well with posting it. Just cannot look at another blame the victim study that has no really big correlation over many years with reproducible results over thousands of women/men. Small studies make me NUTS!

Edited to add one study about this: http://www.massgeneral.org/cancer/assets/pdfs/ObesityLymphedema%20.pdf Please note the number of patients was 16! Sixteen!!

Here is yet another that cites "however, small sample size...yada yada.." http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3971794/

This isn't cancer related but I need to vent. Yesterday I asked for a raise. I haven't had one in 5 years and the truth is I really need to make more money. I am a very hard worker and worked the entire time I was in treatment and no one tried to help me out. I do feel like I am taken advantage of, but to be fair, I'm sure a lot of people would say that about their employer. I do know that I do many things that are not in my job description. I think I deserve a raise. My employer who can afford to up my pay, has told me that they don't believe I deserve one. They have been very generous with bonuses to their credit, and I am very grateful for that. I just feel hurt. I was made to feel like I was in the wrong for asking in the raise because of those bonuses. Am I in the wrong? Am I being selfish?

Do they clone evil bosses somewhere and send us all the same one?

jj...I had that scare too.I had a breeze of a laparoscopic full hysterectomy. I had a damn er positive recurrence in the axilla. But hey, now there is no estrogen, the AIs work better. I Will take my calcium and exercise and now I don't ever have to worry about cervical cancer, ovarian cancer or uterine cancer.

Right on Meow!