NO SURRENDER BREAST CANCER SUPPORT

Your Subtitle text
Hope Happens

Primary Care Physician


Keep your primary care physician (PCP)  in the loop of everything that is going on with you. Your primary doctor knows you the best,  knows your history, the medications you are on and  can keep things moving smoothly in this world of managed care. When getting tests done, and there is a form to fill out asking “which doctor do you want results sent to?” ALWAYS list your primary.


Gynecologist


For many women, this is their primary care doctor.  Your gynecologist must care for you throughout your treatment and well beyond. He will be the one who will be treating you with long-term follow-up care should you need hormonal therapy or a hysterectomy. And he will be the one keeping an eye on your ovaries because we have an increased risk of ovarian cancer once we are diagnosed with breast cancer. Many hormonal changes may occur within the next few years and you need a doctor sensitive to this.  He should have an open and ongoing dialog with your primary care physician. Let them both be your advocates.

 

Oncologist

This is the doctor who has been charged with ridding your body of any stray cancer cell that was not removed during surgery. This is the person you will be relying on with your life. He will determine what is the best protocol for you. This includes chemotherapy and hormonal treatments that are targeted to stop cancer from growing.  He will set up a schedule of treatments and, along with his staff of trained oncology professionals, will monitor your response to treatment as well as any adverse side effects you might experience. You must pick an oncologist based on the following:

Reputation.

Respect. Is he respected by other doctors?


Is he on top of the latest trials and drugs? Is he open to all ideas?


Does he respect YOU as a patient?  If he is understanding, empathetic and takes the time to explain things, then he does.


Is he around your age? This is a life long relationship.  Does he look like he is worn out and about to retire? Or does he look like he wants to be the one to find the cure for cancer and he wants you to be the first patient to be cured?

 

Breast Surgeon

Some people believe that they can get the same level of care from a general surgeon as they can from  a surgeon who specializes in breasts. They cannot. And, in fact, a recent study concluded that a woman has a better chance of cure by surgery alone (70%) if she has her surgery performed by an experienced breast surgeon.

These doctors know how to make incisions that do not affect the rest of the breast.  They know techniques for making biopsy and lumpectomy sites less noticeable. You are much better off with someone who only operates on the breast.

Plastic Surgeon

If you opt to have reconstruction you will need a plastic surgeon who specializes in reconstructive surgery.

Not all “nip and tuck” surgeons do. The ideal is a plastic surgeon who has worked closely with your breast surgeon in the past. This is a team effort in the operating room and all the members of the team need to be able to work well together. In the case of a mastectomy with immediate reconstruction, it is your breast surgeon  who removes the breast tissue and any lymph nodes that need to be removed for analysis. When he is satisfied that he has removed all breast tissue that is necessary, the plastic surgeon will then take over.

 


 Radiologist

This is a separate doctor from the radiation oncologist who you will see later . This is the doctor who runs the screening tests such as Mammograms and Ultrasounds. Essentially, this doctor has the ability to find your cancer while it is still tiny. Apart from reading films, radiologists also perform biopsies in their offices under the guidance of mammogram or ultrasound technology. It is a very precise and intricate field.


Radiation Oncologist

Not the radiologist you saw to diagnose your cancer, this doctor treats your cancer after it has been found.


         You will see this doctor before you begin radiation.  You go to radiation treatments every day but you only see the radiation oncologist once a week, when he checks your skin and asks you how you are.  The best way to know that you have found the right one is if he is recommended by more than one of your other doctors.


Anesthesiologist

This is someone you will meet in the hospital or ambulatory care center. You often don't have a choice which doctor will be assigned to you. However, with breast cancer there usually are multiple surgeries involved. If you find a doctor you like, request that he be your anesthesiologist when you go in for pre-surgical testing before your surgery.

You will meet this doctor right before your surgeries. He is the doctor who gives drugs or gases that keep you unconscious and pain free during surgery.


Before you go into the hospital, make a list of previous surgeries and any reactions you had and bring it with you. You will be nervous the day of surgery and you may not remember everything while filling out your forms.


It important for you to take the time to mention to him any troubles or past reactions you have had to previous surgeries.


This doctor is responsible for you as a whole person during your surgery. He follows your breathing and temperature and really is your guardian throughout the procedure.


  Oncology nurse

She works with your oncologist and has had special training in caring for cancer patients.


She is the one you will see the most. You can also call her with questions without having to call the doctor. If there is something that she thinks is important, then she can get you in to see the doctor right away.

Chemo nurses are angels in scrubs. You will never find more loving, tender, caring people on this earth than a chemo nurse. Quite a few are survivors too-- so they really do understand what you are feeling.

Psychologist

This is a traumatic experience. It may benefit you to see a psychologist or psychiatrist while going through treatment. You can discuss things with them that you can’t mention to your family, or don’t want to mention because you are afraid of frightening them or putting too much of a burden on them.


Talking things through can help you make better decisions, help you feel less alone, and best of all, help you with the fear.



A NOTE ABOUT SECOND OPINIONS

You are making life altering decisions. Don’t just go with one person’s advice.  For any of these doctors you have every right to obtain a second opinion. You need to feel as comfortable as possible with the choices you make.

Gather the information you received from your doctor and then find yourself another one. Present your case the exact same way you did to the first doctor. More likely than not  you will hear the same thing from both doctors if they are both of the same caliber. And that gives you confidence in your choice and your treatment plan. It is a good thing to do.

Most people don’t bother because it is too overwhelming and they don’t want to insult the first doctor they saw because they think it seems like they are doubting him. You aren’t doubting him. And a good doctor will encourage a second opinion because he is confident and sure of the treatment protocol he wants you to have.

  


WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR

   Warning Signs of a Bad Doctor


  1. Talks to you only in the exam room while you are undressed
  2. Never looks at you when you are speaking, but rather, writes furiously in your chart not listening to a word you say

  3. Has not reviewed your case at all prior to your visit. You know this because while you are perched on the iron table in your paper dress waiting for him, you hear him leave the exam room of another patient, then he is standing outside your door and you hear him remove your chart from the little cubby on the front of your door, flip through a few pages for 30 seconds and then he comes in. THAT is not PREP. Either come in and open the chart and talk or review it before hand at your desk in a proper way.

  4. He doesn’t wash his hands upon entering. He just left another exam room- do you really want him touching you?

  5. He makes no eye contact, isn’t quite sure of your name and simply goes through the motions of an exam. Or worse, never touches you. Never lays hands on you but writes up five prescriptions anyway.

  6. He acts as if we are all the same person- more like cars in a body shop than human. Once he opens the hood of a Chevy it is the same as a Ford.

  7. He doesn’t let you speak, ask questions, or express your fears

  8. He doesn’t seem to care that you have cancer. There is no empathy. He either tells you he can “cure you” or he says off hand “we’ll see if this works”

  9. When you question him about wanting a test or a certain chemo he makes a face because you “read it on the internet”. He then proceeds to inform you that anything you read is wrong and he is the only one who is right.

  10. He has the same routine with everyone, never thinks of you as an individual. You can tell from the way he is talking it is a rote speech he has delivered thousands of times. But he never puts YOU into the speech. You can tell your particular case is of no interest to him—he has done this thousands of times, he would like you to just be quiet and listen to what he has to say.

  11. You express a fear about your hair falling out and he makes a joke and tells you to stop being vain.

  12. He doesn’t take into account the quality of your life when he is lining up one harsh treatment after another.

  13. If you ask him about a side effect he says it “goes with the territory”

  14. He makes you wait—not just in the waiting room but even in the exam room where you are left there waiting and waiting. At least in the waiting room there were magazines to read! Once in a while, and if an apology is given then it is fine, but every time with no apology is unacceptable

  15. He is unavailable for after hours emergencies. OR if you finally do get through to him, he insinuates that you “bothered” him for nothing

  16. He won’t share your case and what he feels needs to be done with your other doctors.

  17. He never calls you with test results.

  18.  He thinks you are overreacting and might need some kind of counseling, anti-depressant, tranquilizer, etc. or you have fibromyalgia—when if he took five minutes to put your mind at east you wouldn’t need anything.

  19. He won’t let you bring your husband, brother, sister, or best friend in with you to discuss your case- all you are doing is taking up too much of his time.

  20. He doesn’t remember you. After six months of chemo he still has no clue who you are…. Don’t wait six months to discover this. Six minutes will tell you a lot about your doctor!


The information provided on these pages does not constitute medical advice. Contact your doctor for personal medical guidance.
 In case of emergency contact your health care provider or emergency services.

No Surrender ™ Breast Cancer Foundation is a 501 (c)3 Not for Profit Organization
All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2008 No Surrender™ Breast Cancer Foundation

Please review our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. To Contact Administrator:
Nosurrenderbreastcancerhelp@gmail.com