Medical Profession

[Marie Mallory]

I have to say that the nurses and doctors here are very nice and helpful. Although I don't accept most of their drugs or test like acans and meds.
99% of them are really sweet.
Like the old black man pushing to room singing to me ,called me a Golden Girl,said "not saying your old, we all old,lol."
He knew every word to song below,song below is just 58 seconds long,

 

[Beth Gallagher]

Many people complain about the state of Medicine in the USA, but I'm not one of them. I am lucky to live in a large metro area where plenty of doctors and world-class facilities are available.

Marie, I have been appalled at the poor treatment that you have received during your entire ordeal. Back in 2021 when I saw my PCP and she said, "have that checked ASAP", I did as I was told and made an appointment at MD Anderson that week.

When I had my INITIAL appointment with MDA, I had a mammogram, ultrasound, and a guided needle biopsy all in a single day. It was a long day, but I knew THAT VERY DAY that I had a cancer diagnosis, that it had spread to a lymph node under my arm, and that treatment was imperative due to the aggressive nature of the type of disease.

After that it was a whirlwind of appointments, MRIs, scans, bloodwork, heart tests, etc. MDA scheduled all appointments and all I had to do was show up.

Even yesterday, five years after my treatment ended, I had a mammogram, ultrasound, and an oncologist visit scheduled one after another. By the time I got to the oncologist appointment he already had the results of my mammogram and ultrasound. An excellent medical facility just runs like a well-oiled machine and it's almost inconceivable to me that you have had to fight for every prescription while using the ER as your main source of care.

I wish things were easier for you during this stressful time, and it makes me so sad that you and Jake are basically on your own in this. I received such exemplary care that I am left speechless when I read the ordeal that you and Jake have been through.

 

[Marie Mallory]

Many people complain about the state of Medicine in the USA, but I'm not one of them. I am lucky to live in a large metro area where plenty of doctors and world-class facilities are available.

Marie, I have been appalled at the poor treatment that you have received during your entire ordeal. Back in 2021 when I saw my PCP and she said, "have that checked ASAP", I did as I was told and made an appointment at MD Anderson that week.

When I had my INITIAL appointment with MDA, I had a mammogram, ultrasound, and a guided needle biopsy all in a single day. It was a long day, but I knew THAT VERY DAY that I had a cancer diagnosis, that it had spread to a lymph node under my arm, and that treatment was imperative due to the aggressive nature of the type of disease.

After that it was a whirlwind of appointments, MRIs, scans, bloodwork, heart tests, etc. MDA scheduled all appointments and all I had to do was show up.

Even yesterday, five years after my treatment ended, I had a mammogram, ultrasound, and an oncologist visit scheduled one after another. By the time I got to the oncologist appointment he already had the results of my mammogram and ultrasound. An excellent medical facility just runs like a well-oiled machine and it's almost inconceivable to me that you have had to fight for every prescription while using the ER as your main source of care.

I wish things were easier for you during this stressful time, and it makes me so sad that you and Jake are basically on your own in this. I received such exemplary care that I am left speechless when I read the ordeal that you and Jake have been through.

The problem is that so many have all the answers, like meds for example, I must have refused 20 meds over last couple weeks alone.
They come in room with needle in hand, ,I ask what its for, then refuse to take it.
Last thing I need is a drug side effect reaction. Or to be knocked out and put under another scan ,like I told them I've had enough cat scans, mri's.
Radioactive Pet scan I took results will be at oncologist Monday,

 

[Beth Gallagher]

The problem is that so many have all the answers, like meds for example, I must have refused 20 meds over last couple weeks alone.
They come in room with needle in hand, ,I ask what its for, then refuse to take it.
Last thing I need is a drug side effect reaction. Or to be knocked out and put under another scan ,like I told them I've had enough cat scans, mri's.
Radioactive Pet scan I took results will be at oncologist Monday,

Don't they have a record of your drug allergies? It seems like if they are keeping your chart and records updated, they would know which medicines you can't have. I don't have any medical allergies that I'm aware of, so I just took every medication they gave me without question.

Of course I didn't have any pain to deal with. In fact I was stunned to find that I had cancer because I felt great. (At least until chemo started, and that's when I was a "cancer patient" with no hair and circles under my eyes.)

It just seems to me that your care has been helter-skelter and random, with no actual diagnosis of the type of cancer, where it originated, or any course of treatment. Treating pain is not the same as treating the cause of the pain. I just want you to feel better and to get proper treatment.

 

[Don Alaska]

I am one who complains about the state of American healthcare @Beth Gallagher. As I have said before, I blame a lot of it on Obamacare, but the mindset of many providers and the fact that many of the not-for-profit facilities have been taken over by for-profit corporations, and that was made easier by the passage of that terrible law. Obamacare put many of the single provider doctors out of business by design and many of our doctors now cannot speak English well, and others want a 9-5 practice. Mayo Clinic is one example. I have little contact with the Florida facility, so I can't comment there, but the Minnesota operation seems to have gone downhill dramatically from the reports I receive. My DIL had a serious condition that she was sent to Rochester, Minnesota for, and they did all sorts of elaborate scans and tests over the period of a week and arrived at no diagnosis. A few months later, she went to the Mayo facility in Arizona, and they arrived at a diagnosis is a couple days and scheduled surgery in an attempt to remedy the problem. I have heard a number of similar stories about the Minnesota clinic.

Healthcare in Alaska is particularly bad, but then most "star" doctors don't come to Alaska. I have known of a couple who were moved here by the military and elected to stay as they saw the need. Beth, you are truly fortunate to live near M.D Anderson, and I suspect @Tony Page is also in a good place as well.

 

[Ken Anderson]

I know that I brought it up in the old forum, but I'll repeat it here. As a paramedic, I have transported several cancer patients from the Rio Grande Valley to MD Anderson in Houston, Texas. In each case, they had a team waiting for us in what was practically a red carpet treatment. They knew the patient's name, history, and needs, and were very kind, not only to the patient but to us. They had food prepared for us so that we could get something to eat before returning to the Valley, and I have heard very few complaints about MD Anderson. Not only that, but they have a great name, as well.

 

[Faye Fox]

Don't they have a record of your drug allergies? It seems like if they are keeping your chart and records updated, they would know which medicines you can't have. I don't have any medical allergies that I'm aware of, so I just took every medication they gave me without question.

Of course I didn't have any pain to deal with. In fact I was stunned to find that I had cancer because I felt great. (At least until chemo started, and that's when I was a "cancer patient" with no hair and circles under my eyes.)

It just seems to me that your care has been helter-skelter and random, with no actual diagnosis of the type of cancer, where it originated, or any course of treatment. Treating pain is not the same as treating the cause of the pain. I just want you to feel better and to get proper treatment.

Ditto! To treat the pain, something should have been done with the tumors, but only after biopsy. If surgery wasn't viable, then radiation to shrink them to relieve the nerve compression should have been considered. It really upsets me @Marie Mallory , that you weren't sent to an Oncologist immediately!