SharKats Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 I had lung, liver and bone scans done last Friday. (I recently finished w/4th round of chemo). I called my onc's office Monday and her "nurse" finally called me back. She said the doctor left her a note to call and tell me that kidney, liver, panceras, was negative and they only saw a couple non-specific nodules on my lung. Well, what does that mean? Were these nodules there before on previous scans, how big were they? Of course the "nurse" doesn't know. Then I call back today asking about the bone scan. The "nurse" says ummmm....... it says there's increased uptake and of course your scolosis. I ask what "increased uptake" means - she doesn't know. So I asked to have my onc call me when she gets back in town which is Thursday. Well, she's going to be too busy to call me Thursday so I asked to please have her call me Friday or Monday at the latest. Then the "nurse" wants to know when my next office visit is scheduled and I said 4/16 and no, I am NOT willing to wait that long before talking to my doctor. If she cannot find time to speak to me regarding scan results in-between office visits (that are a month apart or longer)then I'm going to have to make other arrangements. (bluffing, I have 2 more rounds to go before it would be feasible to find another onc). But it made me angry that it's so darn difficult to speak to my oncologist on the phone. Does anyone else have or had this problem, or am I just extremely lucky? PS. I put "nurse" in quotes because I don't think she's an RN. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie Daughter of Bill Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 Hmmmmmmm Every time that my Dad has a scan done, his receptionist automatically makes an appointment for 3-5 days later. We sit down with the doctor, ask questions, etc. We have NEVER been given information like that over the phone by a "nurse". Maybe that is common practice??? I'm sure glad that my Dad's Dr. doesn't operate that way! NO WAY would I wait until your next appointment to get your results! Just my opinion..... Angie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carolyn Flournoy Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 Yes, Jim's first onc. was skilled but had poor people skills. He treated the disease but not the person. His office reflected his attitude. Calls that weren't returned just an overall rude atmosphere. We found an onc. that cared about the person he was treating. Jim had a MRI one Fri. with the new onc. on Sat. the Dr. called with the results. The Dr. called from the Pacific Ocean while he was sailing. This happen last Father's Day needless to say Jim is still with this caring Dr. Carolyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimblanchard Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 You raise a very good issue. I also have not figured out, or have I asked how test resulted are reported. I always call the doctor if an appointment is not scheduled near result time. Her doctor always calls me back the same day, or the oncology nurse "hunts" him down for me. Otherwise, the doctor will go over the results on a scheduled appointment. I also bug the on-call doctor, the other partner in the practice, if I can't get her oncologist. Try insisting that the "on-call" get back to you in the doctor's absence. I also ask that they fax me the original reports if I have questions. Some of the information is obvious, other times it calls for interpretation by a doctor. Make lots of noise. Try to form a relationship with a real oncology nurse in the practice, those nurses can be great advocates and know their stuff! Sorry this all is adding to your stress level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhioKat Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 My Docs office (so far at least) has always set up a follow up appointment after testing like that within a few days of the procedure, so I've never had to call for test results thankfully. Hope you can get some solid answers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Wood Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 I agree with you that you should get timely results. Lucie's onc is very good about letting her know within a day or two about results. My opinion is that, if you can't get your onc to give you timely reports, you should find another who will. There are many good oncs in Houston area. Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MO_Sugar Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 My Doctors have been so wonderful to work with I really feel I have been blessed! They usually call the SAME DAY with test results if at all possible. I have a great relationship with the main nurse that works for my Onc. and also with the girls in the front office which really helps when I need to talk to him or the nurse. Best wishes and God Bless, MO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Karen C Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 At Dave's oncologist's office, someone always schedules his scans and schedules an appt. with the oncologist for one week later at the same time, and then they mail the appts. to him. I will say that the staff in his office are really rude and one or two of them are just plain stupid, but at least they do have that procedure down. In my opinion, you should NOT be receiving test results over the phone from a "nurse" - you should be getting them in a timely fashion face to face from the oncologist. No variation. We've even gone in there and had Dr. Sc. come in the room and say "you're fine" and that's all. We'd say, what does THAT mean, and he'd say NED. But he said it to our face. and with a big smile! Tell them they need to schedule follow up appts. or you'll find an oncologist who will. Karen Chapman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharKats Posted March 31, 2004 Author Share Posted March 31, 2004 Thanks everyone! I think I'm getting short-changed here and being told that the doctor would be "too busy to call me regarding the scans the day she returned to the office" didn't sit well. There is never an offer to have another doctor call me - I'm just told that I need to wait for my appointment time or wait until my doctor is back in the office; there is no scheduling of appointments near the scan times, and since 1/15, I have only spoken to my onc once by phone. All my questions are routed to her "assistant" and she calls with an answer that of course often leads to more questions which her "assistant" cannot answer. It's like a merry-go-round and becomes very frustrating. I cannot imagine an onc not understanding how apprehensive and anxious all of us are regarding the results of our scans. So, if I don't receive a phone call from mine by Friday, I'm definitely going to find a different doctor after my 6th round which is end of April. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hebbie Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 Sharlene, Just out of curiosity, is your oncologist a general oncologist, or a specialist in lung cancer? Are you at a small facility or a major cancer hospital? Although, either way there is no excuse for the lack of attention you seem to be receiving -- I was just curious. It does sound like you are getting the short end of the stick here -- and since this is your LIFE we are talking about -- you deserve more attention than you seem to be getting. I'd find another doctor as quickly as your treatment allows! My doctor always makes sure that my scans are scheduled with a follow-up appt. with him no more than two days later because he understands how brutal that waiting period can be and wants to alleviate the "stress factor". I wish you the best at finding the caring, compasionate oncologist that you deserve! I see that you are in the Houston area -- perhaps someone here can recommend an oncologist for you! Best of luck with the rest of your treatments, Heather Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Phyllis Posted March 31, 2004 Share Posted March 31, 2004 I have always had excellent nurses. They have always bent over backwards to take care of me. My docs will not usually discuss test results over the phone. However, my CT scans are always about three days prior to my doctor's appointments. They would not make me wait for a month to actually get information concerning my condition. A lot can happen in that time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharKats Posted April 1, 2004 Author Share Posted April 1, 2004 Hi Heather, She's a general oncologist who founded the NW Cancer Center in 1990. It's a small center but it makes it very convenient for those of us in North Harris County. We are many, many miles, not to mention horrendous traffic from the famed Medical Center. There are four other doctors in this practice - I assume they're associates rather than partners. She is not a lung cancer specialist - I'm not sure there is one in my part of Houston but I'm going to certainly be checking around. Of course I have to take out my "in network" insurance book when making a decision. I have another month to go so I'll see what happens after I make my frustrations known to her. If she feels I'm being unreasonable then............ Thanks so much for you input! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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