Called my onco office yesterday to get some lab and scan time. I have soreness in my bottom ribs, not electric pain as when the cancer spilled out my top right ribs. No callback from either the nurse or scheduler.
The reason, I know, is that everyone is busy, because nearly everyone has cancer. I asked my onco's MA how many cases he had at that moment. She said, "About 700."
He does breast cancer as well as prostate.
I like him, but I feel like just one flea snagged in his socks.
I feel the same way! Up until now my MO wasn’t taking notes during my visits and I had to keep reminding her of my case. She has a lot of patients and maybe my condition isn’t serious enough yet? She now has an assistant taking notes so that’s helpful. I try to engage in non-cancer conversation a little bit during each visit so that she remembers me. It is starting to work but she seems to be overloaded. She is a very in demand MO so I put up with it since I feel I can trust her with my life. Need to clone her!
Each one is the very most important. Juggling 700 without any being dropped before it's time. Through all of the heartache and suffering and loss. Compassion requires it. Anything less is not acceptable. Every one precious and their loved ones too.
I know because I have been there. The impossible task that you return to each day, steeled and determined to do the very best. Protect them. Lift them up. Hold their fears and their suffering. Anything less will not do.
And if that is not true of your physician, then leave them and go to another. One with that impossibly great heart who lives in service. That one is a saint, while still so very human, themself frail and small.
And yes, cancer has allowed me to access greater wisdom, in answer to your question. It allowed me to get out of my own way and focus on what is most important.
As I think upon it, "wisdom" may be absence of wisdom. When we think we know things and have a handle on them -- and worse, blast others with this wisdom -- maybe that's not as wise as accepting that we know very little, and go on with our lives as much as possible. Wisdom in non-wisdom?
Yes you get it. Wisdom is quiet and contained until called forth to serve you. Not being a wise-guy!
I have been surprised at how formulaic my treatment is. If your PSA is this, and your Gleason is that, then we suggest this treatment. And my suspicions are confirmed on this forum. There are probably 4-6 people on this forum with similar numbers, receiving almost the exact same treatment from MSK.
This isn’t to say this is a bad thing. I’m sure MSK has treated hundreds of thousands of prostate cancer patients over the years, and we all fall into categories, at least at the beginning stages.
However, it makes me think that the strength of MSK is as an institution, and not with the individual doctors.
Of course this will all probably change In the coming years. My treatments will probably become more individualized as my cancer progresses.
They're busy because they know what they're doing, and have the right touch. But after a point, their very skills are blunted by the volume. There are a LOT of us.
And then there's my IO who has his own troubles ---- and is still treating others ----
youtube.com/watch?v=STA5_je...
note -- if inappropriate, mods please delete
One thing which we quickly realized for scheduling is that you are your only advocate in getting things done in a timely manner.
All of our initial appointments were 4-5 weeks out and every single time we pushed back and requested that the medical files need be reviewed by the doctor we were trying to be scheduled for. This may be specific to my fathers health and cancer profile but every single time we got a call back letting us know that the doctor will see us within no more than a week after reviewing the file.
There hasn't been a single appointment that we were not able to push up when we tried but it requires considerable effort and a firm stance. At the peak of scheduling shortly after the diagnosis we made over 50 calls a week to organize all of the scans, the appointments with specialists, and calls to ensure that the results were being transferred between institutions in real-time. Many were dead ends but we found alternate numbers and kept pushing. It was disappointing to see the lack urgency but it's a reality we accepted early and more importantly took into our own hands.
Father has metastatic prostate cancer. Last psa was <0.2. Similar stories and survival?
Travel Insurance for metastatic cancer
Metastatic Prostate Cancer Resisting to Treatments
Should PSA be checked during hormone treatment while waiting for radiation?
My husband has advanced prostate cancer
