Medical Profession

Marie Mallory said:
They say need Pet Scan for biopsy, which is dangerous so close to blood vessel and spinal cord ,nerves.
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Interesting! The MRI and/or CT is all that should be needed to do a needle biopsy on the spinal masses. They use a very fine needle and can get a mass sample without any disturbance to the nerves or blood vessels. The low back one is usually the easiest.

A PET Scan is used to show cancer spread in tissue. It doesn't give any better image of the tumors than the MRI does. A biopsy usually precedes a PET scan because, if cancer isn't found by the biopsy, then no PET scan is necessary. A biopsy is what is used to confirm or deny cancer. I have had several of them and always after MRI or CT indicated a tumor or suspicious looking mass.

If your PET shows cancer, then no biopsy will be necessary. A PET is the ultimate test for showing cancer. Mine was done from the shoulders down and showed the cancerous tumor, previously deemed cancer by biopsy, but no spread. The final result came with removal of the tumor with a lot of tissue that surrounded it and 36, if I remember right, lymph nodes removed. The removed tissue all around the previously biopsied and cancerous tumor was biopsied and so were select lymph nodes. The lymph nodes showed clean and the tissue showed the stage of the tumor. I was lucky that it hadn't gone through the tissue. It was a big tumor, but a thin one.

In all my cancer suspected cases, a biopsy was performed and a PET was done only when a mass or tumor showed cancer VIA biopsy.

I think Marie, that maybe you are confusing what the doctor said about removing the spinal tumors, with a simple biopsy of them. Yes, sometimes spinal tumors, even benign are difficult or impossible to remove safely. I certainly hope the PET scan results show a path for treatment and getting you out of at least the worst pain.
 
Tony Nathanson said:
I think our opinions about medical professionals is dependent on our personal experiences. Mine have taught me that I have to be wary if I want to go on living.
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Trust and verify!
Patients have to be patient sometimes. It takes diagnostics to diagnose a lot of problems. Technology has specialized medical professionals. Patients enjoy the progress but have to work with it. BE HONEST with your physician! If medication does not work on day one like a miracle please do not throw it in the trash. There are proper ways of disposing it. A physician is only as good as his/her training and the patient. Keep records of calls, conversations, reactions and share them at each visit. Outburst are for at home preferably with a caring person.
SO checked out of the hospital 24 hours after major spinal surgery. He wanted to go home. Fine. The house was/is set up. I was not after two days. I had a melt down after two days and threatened to take him to the rehab facility if he does not do what he is supposed to. Apparently it worked.
His cancer was easier at least on me.
 
Beth Gallagher said:
Sorry to hear that you were left with physical problems after treatment, John. That is actually very common, unfortunately.

Many people survive cancer to be faced with other health issues caused by the cancer treatment.

The issue with oncologists is that they are cancer specialists. They aren't concerned that chemo affected heart valves or caused disintegrating joints; they are concerned with cancer... period.
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Unfortunately that is the problem with many specialties. They are concerned only with what they treat. When I was in renal failure and miraculously recovered, the nephrologist wanted to discharge me despite the fact that I had many other issues. Luckily the internist overseeing my care stepped in and stopped it. They also thought I was being treated for my broken back since the providers in Alaska said they were...when they absolutely were not. The Alaska people were giving me the "Don't call me, we'll call you" treatment and that was why I was in failure to begin with.
 
Don Alaska said:
Unfortunately that is the problem with many specialties. They are concerned only with what they treat. When I was in renal failure and miraculously recovered, the nephrologist wanted to discharge me despite the fact that I had many other issues. Luckily the internist overseeing my care stepped in and stopped it. They also thought I was being treated for my broken back since the providers in Alaska said they were...when they absolutely were not. The Alaska people were giving me the "Don't call me, we'll call you" treatment and that was why I was in failure to begin with.
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As if we need aggrevation to go along with illness, especially life threatening or extreme pain.
 
@Marie Mallory -
I hope your not beating yourself up over having smoked and getting cancer. I to smoked until my CHF. Smoking is bad for us,but so are many other things, many things we have no control over or very little.So perhaps a conglomeration of many also aided in your situation. Then there are those who never smoked and still got even lung cancer. I know of several that happened to.
I think your brave and so glad your sharing your journey of this with us all.
 
My old dermatologist retired and subsequently died, so today I went to a new guy. He has good reviews online and I was only having a couple of "spots" checked on my skin so nothing life-threatening. I mentioned to him that I was having some issues with the skin on my eyelids feeling itchy and burning so he called in a prescription to Walgreens.

I got a notication that the Rx was ready for pickup, so I googled the medicine. It says "do not get in the eyes" and "not recommended for use on the face." Seriously?? I called Walgreens and advised them that I won't be picking up the medicine. I also won't be returning to Dr. Chan.
 
Yes, there is a tendency
Beth Gallagher said:
My old dermatologist retired and subsequently died, so today I went to a new guy. He has good reviews online and I was only having a couple of "spots" checked on my skin so nothing life-threatening. I mentioned to him that I was having some issues with the skin on my eyelids feeling itchy and burning so he called in a prescription to Walgreens.

I got a notication that the Rx was ready for pickup, so I googled the medicine. It says "do not get in the eyes" and "not recommended for use on the face." Seriously?? I called Walgreens and advised them that I won't be picking up the medicine. I also won't be returning to Dr. Chan.
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You always have to be cautious about following a doctor's recommendations. I was prescribed an oral medication (in addition to an Rx-strength ointment) a few years ago for athlete's foot & of course I told the doctor I was diabetic. When I went to the pharmacy, I asked the pharmacist for the warnings & instructions before I paid for the medication. On the top of the first page, in big bold text it said, "Do not take this medication if you are diabetic." And to top it off, the oral medication wasn't even necessary; the ointment did it in three days. It was just a stronger version of OTC medication.
 
True, pharmacists know more about pharmacology than physicians do, given that this is what they specialize in, and they are generally ignored by most people, many of whom probably believe that pharmacists are people who are trained to put pills into bottles and distribute them.
 
Ken Anderson said:
True, pharmacists know more about pharmacology than physicians do, given that this is what they specialize in, and they are generally ignored by most people, many of whom probably believe that pharmacists are people who are trained to put pills into bottles and distribute them.
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Pharmacists used to get licensed at BS. There are some grandfathered ones around.
 
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