Don't know what to do now.

Tonita
Tonita Member Posts: 197 Member
in Head and Neck Cancer #1

Hi everyone.  Had surgery 3/16 to remove scc tumor from my tongue and 42 lymph nodes.  I had the original surgery at Yale in CT and moved to New Hampshire and am receiving follow ups at Dartmouth. 

At my last appointment with my original doctor I showed him my tongue and how extremely uncomfortable it was and inflamed as well.  He said he could easily fix it with outpatient surgery.  I didn't commit to anything at that point and decided to wait.

My new doctor seems really against this surgery and made it sound as horrible as the original surgery (5 1/2 hours and 5 days in the hospital).  He said it may not improve anything at all and possibly make things worse.

My original doctor made it sound like a piece of cake and this doctor is all doom and gloom.

I've made a request to my insurance to approve an out of network claim so I can go back to my original doctor.

What do you guys make of this?  It's very confusing.  But honestly, my tongue is a mess and I don't expect it will ever improve as is.

Comments

  • Chicklette
    Chicklette Member Posts: 225
    #2
    Seek another opinion

    Hi Tonita,

    I live in NH, too, and my husband is seeking treatment at Mass General in Boston.  The doctors down there are very good and very experienced.  But with two doctors with drastically different opinions, it would probably be in your best interest to seek a third opinion.

    ~Chicklette~

  • Tonita
    Tonita Member Posts: 197 Member
    #3
    Chicklette said:

    Seek another opinion

    Hi Tonita,

    I live in NH, too, and my husband is seeking treatment at Mass General in Boston.  The doctors down there are very good and very experienced.  But with two doctors with drastically different opinions, it would probably be in your best interest to seek a third opinion.

    ~Chicklette~

    Thanks Chicklette.  My

    Thanks Chicklette.  My insurance only covers me in NH now.  I'll go on Medicare in July so I think that broadens my options.  However, the second doctor clearly had a bias against a cigarette smoker as I was one for 50 years and quit a year ago.  He essentially believes that I "brought this upon myself".  That skews my opinion of him.  He is really turning me away from having this "repair".  The doctor who did the surgery know exactly what he did and he might have insight the my NH doctor doesn't have.  Needless to say, I lost trust in NH doctor ever since he made that comment.

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