panicked rant (some bad words/strictly my opinion)

[shelliemacs]

I will try to summarize this.

Yesturday I got a call my sister was taken by ambulance from work for a possible heart attack (she is 40), I rush to hospital and tests for that come back "no sign of heart attack" so the jack *ss ignorant doctor starts asking very familiar questions,

1) do you smoke - no

2) do you have a cough - yes

3) are you having trouble swallowing - no

4) is the pain in you shoulder going around to your back - no

5) do you have or have you had fevers - no

anyway he takes a family history ok both parents died of LC so he immediately assumes my sister now has metastic breast to lung cancer because my parents smoked in the house 15 years ago.

I freaked out and said "How the hell did you make that leap without a net?", (it gets better now I have to insult the man) "Look mr. $300,000.00 education I am sure you have been able to get by just fine before I walked in here and my last name surely doesn't end with MD but how can you blurt something like that out without something more than "well your parents smoked in the house" I further say "Hey ever hear of Dana Reeve, she didn't smoke and she got LC can you tell me why you just assume that my sister has LC now because my parents did"

he comes back with "wow that hurts"

So he sent her for a chest x-ray and his words "I am not a radiologist but I don't see anything so you will have to follow up with your GP and ONC tomorrow."

I again have to open my fat mouth and say "hey can I see the x-ray cause I am sure if your too busy to take a good look at it I can find something there or not since I have seen about 50 xrays of my parents lungs with LC"

my sister tells me to shut the hell up and stop insulting the dr.

my rant is WHY, this medical man himself who knows there is no explaining WHY someone gets any cancer let alone LC WHY his jackass of a self assumes passive smoking caused my sisters possible metastic breast to LC that he could not or would not even bother to take further than an x-ray.

I wanted to shake him and say your a man of medicine and to assume that if it is LC she got it from my parents smoking in the house 15 years ago. ever hear of asbestos, radom, enviromental hassards hmmm JERK!!!!!!!!!!

if some doctors are out there assuming that people who get LC are only due to smoking than we have made no progress in this battle.

sorry, i just have been up now for 47 hours and this is probably exhaustion talking.

anyway we don't know about metastic anything yet, she is seeing the dr. today.

[Kasey]

((((Shelly)))),

I am REALLY so sorry you are facing medical issues (no matter WHAT they are) again. Not sure who wrote the book on FAIR, obviously it ISN'T fair that some seem to have been left out of it, ya know?

Hoping that there are answers for you and your sister and that you both won't be facing bigger issues. All I can do do is say.......damnitall, Shelly. Will be thinking of you both.

Kasey

[shineladysue]

(((Shelly))),

You have been through too much. I'm sure you have seen enough of this kind of reaction from doctors that you could write a book. I undertand your frustration and I am so so sorry you are going through this. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your sister. Let us know what the doctor says.

Love,

Sue

[J.C.]

Shelly,

I found out that more and more

there is a distinction in medicine

It's one thing to practive EVIDENCE-BASE

medicine

and another to practice IGNORANCE-BASE

medicine

and you had to get the wrong one.

Good that you were there, your sister

is facing enough without this ignorance-

base doctor.

Wishing and hoping for the best for your

sister.

Hugs

Jackie

[Ry]

You're a great advocate for your sister. I hope all goes well with her, let us know.

[stand4hope]

WOW! My interpretation: DON'T MESS WITH SHELLIE ABOUT THIS SH**!!!

Sorry, just had to put the explitive because that was my first true thought!

Shellie, I am very NON-confrontational. Will you come and advocate for me if I ever need it?

Prayers for your sister!

Love you!

Peggy

[Don M]

What can I say Shellie? You had the doc dead to rights and you went in for the kill. He will get over it and might learn something.

I hope it turns out that your sister has no mets.

Don M

[michelepal]

YOU GO GIRL!! I will keep good thoughts for your sister..

Michele

[Frank Lamb]

Shellie,hoping your sisters tests turn out ok and there are no mets.

[MalouDP]

Let me tell you. When my husband was in the hospital, the ER doc walked in after 2 hrs, and said he is waiting for the CT, before he can tell me anything, well after another 2 hours he said, all's well, and that they need to keep my husband for observation. He further said, oh one thing, you need to know, his gallstones are somewhat acting up and looking at his previous CT which was a month ago, this is new. I said, DOC, how much do you want to bet that you were reading someone's CT? he said why? I said because last month he was diagnosed with gallstones and I have the CT report in my purse. He looked stunned and say, excuse me, I stand corrected. What? corrected? Get your doctors *ss correct before you come to me and read someone elses report well you? Oh well, things we do to stay alive. Almost need a Masters degree just to survive.

God Bless us all.

Malou

[Dazy]

I want to bring you with me to my next appointment....Shellie, the human tazer...ready to give 'em a good verbal zapping when they blather something lame or insensitive. YOU GO!!

Your Sis is lucky to have such a wonderful advocate. I'll be praying for good results, today.

[hollyanne]

Shellie -

YOU RULE. You had every right to get "irritated." It is B.S. Praying that the real results are good.

holly

[Don Wood]

Lucie and I are frequently asked to be on a panel for doctor/patient relationships for a local volunteer training for helping people with cancer and their families. Recently, at one point, after relating a story of what happened to us, I blurted out "Sometimes I feel like I know more about the medical system than the doctors do!" The doctor sitting next to me on the panel leaned over and said, "You do!" It behooves us all to be educated, aware and alert. That is what you are doing for your sister, Shellie, and very well. Don

[Geri]

I saw that man's close relative last September! I think they both missed the "keep your mouth shut until you're sure" class at med school.

I complained to his superiors and they assured me he would be written up on it. I don't know that it did any good but I sure felt better.

Hoping for the best results for your sister.

Geri

[RandyW]

Saying prayers for nothing serious out of all this. hll ie You rock Girlfriend, Give em He "2 hockeysticks" for a lesson.

[trishnmiller]

It's sheer arrogance/ignorance and I am well pleased that you took that jerk to task for his idiocy. I know I now am more educated in the specifics of my husband's disease than many of the doctors we've seen. In the ER one time the attending physician asked me what kind of medical professional I was and I told her that my degree was a very specific specialty: My husband's life. I got my education in the school of hard knocks..as did we all.

Well done,

Trish

[Maryanne]

WATCH OUT HERE COMES SHELLY.... you always take the bull by the horns. Your Great... I for one would never mess with you.

YOUR RULE GIRL!!!! Your sister should be thrilled to have you by her side.

Maryanne

[Snowflake]

Shelly,

You know I love you, right? I'm reading all the support for you here and I have to wonder why no one mentioned that this doctor is a person, too. Not EVERY doctor is an oncologist, not EVERY doctor would think to look for lung cancer in a non-smoker. If you had to give this doctor family history, he was probably an ER doctor, a specialist in trauma, NOT cancer.

Shelly, I met a doctor in the ER whose mother had died of LC - he was one of the biggest jerks I've ever had to deal with, basically had me written off as dead (I was taken in for smoke inhalation after a fire at work). When I went in for a migraine that wouldn't go away, a different doctor discussed the importance of follow-up with my doctor/s if the headaches continued or changed.

Doctors are people, too. I don't know the doctor you were speaking to, yelling at, etc., but I don't see where he did a lot that was "bad". Cancer isn't his job, stabilizing a patient who may be having a heart attack is. Don't look to him for cancer advice, he's not an oncologist. He also has to answer for all the tests he orders. A doctor more familiar with the patient may order the whole battery, an ER doctor shouldn't once the patient is stable.

I'm glad she has you in her corner, Shelly. You, however, need to find an outlet for your stress and all these feelings that keep sneaking up on you and kicking your butt. Get some sleep, it will all look different after a good night's sleep.

Love to you,

Becky

[Larry]

I'm with you GIRL...I get so sick of everything now day's being because of CIG smoke, 10 yr's from now i guess eating potatoes will be the next political correct blame for everything issue. ...

[icbn]

Its like the doctor that told a patient, "Did you know some experts say that smoking causes LC?"

I asked him, "Did you know that rubbing my nose in it cause broken teeth."

[shelliemacs]

Thank you all for the support and advice. I feel kinda guilty today for my behavior but I am still glad I didn't roll over and just let him put blame on my parents.

My sister called me last night and told me "Sheesh why were you so hard on him" my only response to her was "why weren't you, this is your life, you have to fight for all your medical care and question the how, whats wheres whens and whys. let the doctor know your life matters to you.

In the doctors defense though the hospital was PACKED. there were people on beds in the hallway. I guess the moon was full that day.

Becky, yes I know you love me and I appreciate your words. your right, he wasn't a oncologist and he was under very stressful difficult situations at that time and I took my fear out on him.

We find out today about the mets.

shelly

[ginnyde]

Shelly, I applaud your actions. Maybe sometimes we need to go over the top in order to get attention, it sures beats a 2 x 4.

I think too often drs. say and do what they want because they are 'special' people, not all but some. We need to remind them that they often have the lives of REAL people in their hands, people that someday could be their spouse or child, parent or sibling.

Thank you.

[mhutch1366]

Shelley,

You did good.

I'm sorry you have to deal with medical stuff again. Hope your sister gets a clean set of tests.

A cardiologist would know more.

Thinking about you.

XOXOXOX

MaryAnn

[mirrell]

nice to hear from you shelliemacs. it's been awhile.

[missyk]

Shelly...

My first thought when i read he said "Ouch, that hurt" was What do you think it feels like for you to make that jump with NO evidence??? Stupid, stupid man. I'm so glad you stood up for your sister, though i understand feeling a bit guilty for it the next moment. I've gone rounds with Mom's onc and nurses in the hospital because Mom doesn't want to feel like she's being a "pest" by asking for her tylenol (the only pain medication she takes).

So, Shelly, Good For You!!!

And prayers for the results to be great!