UPDATE: Chest Surgeon Visit Went Badly

Hi, Gang

It looks a little slow out on the "newsroom" today, so I thought I would post a follow-up on what happened when I had my appointment with the chest surgeon this week.

To begin with, they bungled my appointment in a big way. We each took a half day off with no pay to be there for one thing. When we got in, a series of nurses came in for the usual stuff, and then the PA to the surgeon came up and I updated her on the whole 5-year history. The sad thing about that is the 2nd opinion onc had written up a nine page document outlinging everything, but I had to go and give her the readers digest version.

Next, in came four medical students with a couple of nurses along with us in a small cramped room. There was an "exam" where she examined me and everyone got to see all of the scars on my once nice little body. Then, she told me the surgeon would be in next. Ok, I thought.

Then, the door flies wide open - this guy looks at me and says, "What are you doing here?" I told him in a frank manner, "I'm wondering that myself." Right away, I got a bad feeling about this man - just had this arrogance and cockiness that just was not right.

Right away, he begins barking commands to his PA and the nurse under her and they are literally shaking in their boots. The PA was so mixed up she could barely form a sentence, this guy must be the really intimidating type. I had to help steer her so she could give this guy the answers he was asking.

Only that was only part of it. He was so hurried, he was not listening to any of his own assistants and certainly not to me. He was going off on tangents and not taking the time to absorb the information. Combine with the fact that his pager was constantly going off and he was returning them one after another, seemingly oblivious to any of us in that room.

I thought what arrogance this guy has and I began to dislike him a little more. I know he is busy but he wasn't even polite in the protocol he was using with us in there on a pretty serious matter.

So, then he began ordering scans - we explained that we had already brought down all of the scans and all paperwork when we first got the 2nd opinion with the new onc. But he did not "hear" that. We finally convinced him we had the scans he wanted to see. He then said we would have to go back to our facility and "hand deliver" them to him. We explained again that we had done that, but that the onc had not uploaded the images to their server, so they could be accessed and viewed.

After all that he says, well we need to take a look at the scans. Well, DUH! That's what this appointment was supposed to be about and why we took a half day off unpaid. They said they would need ANOTHER WEEK to review the scans and get back to us. We left pretty frustrated at that point. I thought we'd still give them the benefit of the doubt.

But it gets better...stay with me...

Today, we find out that the Onc's office "MAILED" back my scans and test results by regular mail - no signing for the package, no delivery confirmation, nothing. Imagine that - your whole cancer history out there floating around like a post card and anyone could end up with it. Well, I'm a little bit "hot" about that and not because it's 103 degress down here in TX either. It's just plain incompetence and a total lack of communication, combined with a total lack of compassion on any of these "doctors."

So, there goes this week finding anything out, we're over 6 weeks of this now. And all of you know how agonizing it is to "wait." I've been very patient, but this is ridiculous.

We're supposed to re-gather the scans and walk them back over to them. I'm not really sure if I trust them anymore, based on that experience to even want to do that. I don't really like the surgeon, because I found his "bedside manner" disgusting. I overheard him telling some people that his patients would not be getting any more pain meds etc.etc.

Do I really want to be in the hands of an institution and a surgeon like this?

I'm going to have to think long and hard about this one. I'm away from the cancer center and my old onc, but not really connected to this hospital, so I'm out there floating around, and all the time, this Cancer could be growing in me while I try to be seen and taken seriously.

Over the weekend, I almost went to the ER, because when I went to bed, I would wake up in the middle of the night with such pain in the back of my lungs and middle of my back. I figured it was "pleural effusion", where fluid builds up between the pleura and the lung itself. Quite coincidentally, the pleura is where my 2 potential tumors are sitting and growing.

I felt a little bit better today, so I am going to wait and see which direction I need to go now. I will probably begin trying to find another surgeon. I don't need my butt kissed, but this guy bordered on rude and insensitive and even if he is the best surgeon, I'm not sure I want him anymore. Who could blame me?

I'm not a big fan of doctors anyway - to me they are just people in "white coats" whom we've been taught to revere and put on a pedestal and treat with "God like" status. And surgeons are inherently the worst offenders of the bunch. My liver surgeon was a nice guy though and very humble, so I guess there are all kinds. I think you have to go with your gut feeling though and if you don't feel comfortable with someone, you have to move on. So, I'll just have to take my own advice.

There is a reason they call it "PRACTICING MEDICINE."

Thanks for allowing me to get this off my "chest", no pun intended. See, I still got my humor about me!

So, right now we're back on hold and I will try to get this straightened out and see what I need to do to get it right.

I'll send up a post when I know something more definite. Right now, the VATS and my life are still on hold - you hear that sound? That's ME flapping away in the breeze....

Take care Family and continued best to each of you. I'm still on the air and here to help you and be with you again.

NEWS FLASH, this just in...the surgeon must have heard me cussing his name under my breath, because he just called wanting to know where the scans were? I told him that you guys mailed them back to me. Of course, he wants to see them, because no decisions can be made until he sees them.

So, I am thinking we get the scans we want to see and give him a 2nd chance and see if the next appointment will be any better. He's an Associate Professor at a teaching hospital, so maybe I just caught him on a bad day.

Hate to flip flop like that, but at least I got my feelings out and that helped. Stay with me on this, I need you guys support. That's the first time, I've ever had to ask, but there is always a first time, isn't there?

You guys are great - stay tuned, you know I can't ever tell a story quickly.

-Craig

I'm going to pray tonight and for the next few nights for the right direction that will lead me to find out if the Cancer is back on me again. If you would like to join me, then I WELCOME your prayers as well.