Second Best But Good Enough
I'm back from my visit to the new oncologist. I now feel confident that I chose the right oncologist for me the first time around and will be returning to her care as soon as she is established in the new practice. Don't get me wrong, this doctor was perfectly nice, but I didn't get the same feeling I did with my original doctor. This new practice is much larger and thus has the feeling of chaos from the moment you walk in the door. There were more people waiting, more phones ringing and more people who couldn't answer questions. Once I was finally called back, I saw more differences in the furnishings and equipment. This is not important, but worn furniture and scuffed walls do make an impression, especially when I came from a much more polished environment.
The doctor agreed with the original treatment plan and said that is what he would have done also. I asked him some questions about the reports I picked up from the surgeon last week; the change in ER% does not change my ability to receive hormone therapy since the lower number is still considered positive. The Ki-67 is the proliferation rate of the cells. Since mine was 62%, this means it was dividing rapidly and makes the cancer a little more aggressive, but this was all taken into account when the treatment plan was developed, so I shouldn't worry.
I was unable to get an answer from anyone working there on when I would have my next chemo and this is a point of some frustration for me. The collaborative nurse will call me once she gets the doctor's written orders on my chemo, but I could not get a straight answer on when she would even call me. Since I am due to have chemo in less than 48 hours, I'd like to get this resolved before then. Aside from my desire to get treatment on schedule, a change in day of the week would cause me to have to take a lot more time off from work; when I can have chemo on Thursday, I get Saturday and Sunday (my worst day) off to recover. If I have to have chemo on Monday, I would have to take four days of leave instead of two for each treatment. This would bankrupt my leave rather than allowing me to finish without having to take FMLA. I also feel like they've known since at least last Friday, when they contacted me, that I needed chemo and it takes three hours to do, so why couldn't they work on getting me into the schedule before 4:30 today?
I left the office with another new patient who also happened to come from my original practice. He summed it up nicely when he said, "It's different."
I'll be a pest tomorrow, and the next day if it comes to that, until someone tells me when I can get my treatment. Hopefully they'll call first thing tomorrow morning with an appointment for me.
The doctor agreed with the original treatment plan and said that is what he would have done also. I asked him some questions about the reports I picked up from the surgeon last week; the change in ER% does not change my ability to receive hormone therapy since the lower number is still considered positive. The Ki-67 is the proliferation rate of the cells. Since mine was 62%, this means it was dividing rapidly and makes the cancer a little more aggressive, but this was all taken into account when the treatment plan was developed, so I shouldn't worry.
I was unable to get an answer from anyone working there on when I would have my next chemo and this is a point of some frustration for me. The collaborative nurse will call me once she gets the doctor's written orders on my chemo, but I could not get a straight answer on when she would even call me. Since I am due to have chemo in less than 48 hours, I'd like to get this resolved before then. Aside from my desire to get treatment on schedule, a change in day of the week would cause me to have to take a lot more time off from work; when I can have chemo on Thursday, I get Saturday and Sunday (my worst day) off to recover. If I have to have chemo on Monday, I would have to take four days of leave instead of two for each treatment. This would bankrupt my leave rather than allowing me to finish without having to take FMLA. I also feel like they've known since at least last Friday, when they contacted me, that I needed chemo and it takes three hours to do, so why couldn't they work on getting me into the schedule before 4:30 today?
I left the office with another new patient who also happened to come from my original practice. He summed it up nicely when he said, "It's different."
I'll be a pest tomorrow, and the next day if it comes to that, until someone tells me when I can get my treatment. Hopefully they'll call first thing tomorrow morning with an appointment for me.
Comments