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Almost as scary as cancer itself


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I got a call yesterday that kinda set me spinning. I had bladder cancer surgery in April, and the "results" of such a surgery are determined by visually looking at the site via a scope, every 3 mos for a year, repeating the surgery if need be, then if all goes exceedingly well, yearly thereafter. So it's fair to say there's been a good bit of anxiety as I await the first follow-up scope job, which was scheduled for the 28th of this month.

 

Well, the doc's office called. He's LEAVING, his last work day is tomorrow. The hospital will be welcoming his repacement, who recently completed his residency, to his first job as "attending", starting August 2. My scope has been pushed back to mid August at the earliest, pending his schedule settling down.

 

The other guy was a 25 year vet of the game, not dottering by any means, but seasoned. I don't know what to think about a "newbie". Maybe could be good, latest education, etc, but he's surely not "seen it all" yet, and I hate to be "training wheels" as he gets his self situated without having an attending looking over his shoulder, especially since the way they do the scope job, it's visual inspection, not like a scan he could share for a back-up opinion......

 

Just kinda don't know what to think. This is CANCER after all....

 

ANYWAY, if I seem a little out to lunch (more than normal, HAR!), it's probably because I'm trying to chew on this info and it ain't making this any easier.

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Prayers up for a good repore with the Doc and a good site seeing trip with the scope. May God put you in good hands.

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Try and give the new doc a chnace - with that said you are in my prayers...seems alot of pards are going through some struggles but through faith and focus - good things can and do happen...

 

 

GG ~ :FlagAm:

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Jack, I went down that road about 12 years ago. After 10 years you get checked every 2 years.

Give the new doc a chance, might be sharper than the old doc. I still hate the procedure but I'm

still here. Good luck Pard. Regards, TJ

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Give the young man a chance. They tend to be more up to date with new technologies that appear every day. Plus, if they have doubts they have buddies to consult with and can send instantaneously xrays, CAT scans, etc.over the internet. If you don't like what you hear you can always get a second opinion.

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The thing that has me bugged is the nature of a cystoscope, at least here in Podunk, is it is very much like a gunsmith's borescope. Unlike an X-Ray or MRI, or some "high tech" scopes, there is no digital or paper record. He's gotta look at whatever he sees, make a sole judgement, then if he says so, repeat with a rigid surgical scope that also has no record, and using his eye and judgement, perform the surgery.

 

Any uncertainty on his part would entail him stopping the procedure and sending me out for a repeat elsewhere so somebody else could eyeball it. HOW LIKELY would he be to make that call, especially on day ONE as "captain" in the OR???? There is NOBODY to stand beside him and take a peek. He's the only urologist in the county.

 

I'm generally a pretty trusting soul, but this ain't like changing the muffler on a car, where a "bring back" is not the end of the world. Here an error could potentially be unknown until it popped up as a "progressed" tumor. Geez I just dunno.

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Jack:

I work with Residents everyday. A Urology Attending is a Intern then resident, then fellow, then attending. They have already done quite a few scopes and seen hundreds. I would have no problem having a youger set of eyes looking at my scope. Many cancers are the same. Either microscopic and no one can see them,yet. Or they are there. If the guy or gal doesn't pass your acid test get a second opinion. It may cost you a few hudred bucks,but thats cheap to put your concerns at rest.

 

Do not be afraid to ask the doc to belay your concerns over having a new attending, he will know what you mean and should explain in a friendly non threatened manner. Patients today are not just patients,they are customers also.

 

Caprock (PA-C) x 20 years

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Jack:

I forgot CONGRATULATIONS on beating you Bladder CA. Just a friendly reminder. If you smoke try to quit. There is a disproportionate number of smokers that develop Bladder CA. Never made scence to me as ,when I smoked I never inhaled with that part of my anatomy! But it is true.

Cap

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Thanks folks. I dunno. Maybe this guy will be the bright young fellow with the latest training and best eyes out there. When ya treat at a 65 bed community hospital in a county with ONE Uro, it is a bit like trapeze work without a net. The other guy was no talker, answered maybe ONE question *the rest was left to internet and barking at the moon myself). But at least his 25 years in the biz, and ZERO malpractice or state citations (searchable 5 years) was some comfort that he knew his business. Google doesn't even know the new guy exists YET.....

 

If I do choose to go "down the line" I think I;d have to tread water with the insurance folks until they approved something (ain't that grand) as the whole process has the piggy bank a bit empty at the moment...

 

As always, the Wire provides a sounding board.

 

Thanks fellers and ladies.

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Howdy, AJ -

 

I've been dealing with a nerve issue in my left arm for a couple of months. I was referred to a neurosurgeon by my primary care doc.

 

When he walked into the room, I immediately thought, "This 'kid' looks like he should be mowing my yard!" Turns out he graduated first in his class in medical school. Three years after starting his practice here in Dallas, he was named to D Magazine's Best Doctors in Dallas list (based on selection by his peers).

 

Bottom line is that youth is not always a bad thing! I'd say give the new guy a shot and trust your instincts. As others have said, you could always get a second opinion.

 

Good luck, pard!

 

Regards, TJH

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Got a friend that was feeling run down, always tired

 

Old Doctor told him it was just part of the aging cycle

 

Old doc retired. Young replacement doc ( still wet behind the ears) sent him to the hospital for tests. Blocked arteries!

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I was one of my docs first patients back in '93. He's saved my life 3x over the years. The first time was the first visit. My previous doc had blown off the symptoms for 2 years. The symptoms were from lab results.

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AJ,

 

Talk to the guy. Be honest with him. Tell him about how this is your life you are talking about and how you desire to build up that level of trust with him that you had with your previous physician. If he has made it this far he is not an idiot and I seriously doubt he will be offended. If he is the only Urologist in the county you can be sure that you are not the only person that he is going to be having this very same conversation with. Time is what it takes to build trust and I feel your pain in that time is not on your side yet in your follow up visits.

 

My urologist died a few years back. I had a kidney stone that was really messing with me and every place I called told me they could see me next month. I needed a "now" appointment. One practice told me the urologist I had called for was booked out for weeks. As I was about to hang up the receptionist asked if I would mind seeing a female doctor. Right then I would have seen a gorilla in a lab coat.

 

Dr Laura Stearman in OKC is young, attractive, has a wonderful sense of humor, and is the best Dr. I have ever had. She has time to talk to me and explain what needs doing. She does a great job in the OR with me and a equally good job in the waiting room with my wife and family after she is done. I would never had found her if circumstances had not driven me to find a new Dr right now.

 

God does not close a door without having a new one open to go through. I am praying that this is exactly what is occuring in your life. I trust that the new urologist and you will be able to extablish a new level of confidence in each other that will allow you to continue your healing with less worry and more faith in your future.

 

God Bless pard,

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AJ,

You know what I'm dealing with over here. Seems it's a reversed scenario to what you are dealing with now. Mine was an off and on problem for the last 7 years. My local older ENT Dr. couldn't say what it was but did say it wasn't cancer. Well come to find out he was wrong. One exam from this new younger doc and he know immediately. Everything he has told has come to pass just like clock work. So, I trust him fully.

Could be your new Doc is like our really good young dedicated shooters in our game now. If he's as good at doctoring as these young shooters at our game then are you will be just fine.

Prayers up for you pod.

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I am a cancer survivor of 17 years....2 major surgeries, 2 chemos and rad. I was given a 1 in 10 chance of making it 5 years :o I've had a bunch of Oncologists and Dr's over the years, best advice has been given. Be honest with the new Dr and see what happens. If you don't like him, look for another Dr. Good luck AJ, keep us posted.

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Had a small bladder cancer twelve years ago. Had another two years ago. Have had the cystoscopies at the usual rate--thre months for a year, every six months for a year then yearly. One of my routine cystoscopies detected the second cancer. I suggest I've had at least twenty cystoscopies and I hate the next one as much as the last one. However, the fact is--they ain't all that much. Also, it ain't rocket science. Ask if you can watch the screen. You'll see what he sees and can ask questions. Bet you'll like him! BTW, if you gotta have cancer early detected bladder cancer is probably a good choice--very treatable.

 

Trust your doc!

 

Prof. Dunnit

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Nothing like the Big C to get a person's attention.

 

I work in a major regional medical center and see a LOT of Doctors, Interns and Residents daily. I made a remark to a friend recently that either I was getting older or the residents were getting younger. He replied that I was getting older.

 

Knowing my friend he was probably jabbing me but his point was well taken.

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Do a little background checking. Where did he go to medical school? Where was he a urology resident? If he's from Hopkins or Stanford-let him have a look. If he's from some place you've never heard of, feel free to shoot me an email and I'll help check it out if you like. There are great young doctors and lousy young doctors, same with old and middle-aged doctors. Start with a credentials check. The hospital or his office should be open with that information.

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So far the only checking I have been able to do is a little blurb posted by the hospital welcoming the guy. "Recently completed his residency" at a nearly medical center/medical college. Google doesn't even know he exists.

 

CC, BTW, I FINALLY got yer stuff in the mail. Finished the snappies yesterday..... I made bullets in 95 degree heat yesterday, and sized/lubed em til midnight in a shop still hot.....

 

Today I said the heck with it, and went fishing TWICE. Unable to sleep, I was on the water by 6AM, home by 11, processed a backlog of orders, and back on the water by 6:30. One legal LM bass, a couple of nice bluegills, and an outstanding black crappie, all tossed back. It's not about the fish, rather the fishing.... Im blessed with a nice small lake 5 miles away (we got a big lake as well, but it's not as kayak-friendly). THAT's my therapy. No "big C' thinking on the water....

 

Professor, no watching the scope here. Unless this guy got em to upgade, we have the Gunsmith edition, a 45 caliber bore scope somebody bought when Herters was in business, and retrofitted for the job. That's one of the things that makes this a conundrum. Whoever does both the flex cysto and/or TURB at THIS hospital is the ONLY one that ever sees the work (unless of course ya end up autopsied).

 

I'll meet with the guy and ask him how much experience he has with BC. The "intro" blub on the hospital website lauds his bringing a laparoscopic kidney suregery to town with him, something we didn't have before, and it sounds like something he specializes in. That does nothing for me however, as even the National BC support folks admit MOST Uros know relatively little about BC....

 

Good idea to check his pedigree as best I can. I'm not shy, nor worried about getting off on the wrong foot. Heck, I wouldn't trust my cowboy guns to just anybody, I ain't gonna trust just any "noob" with my life....

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There are a lot of fine young Docs out there, and they never fail to amaze me. We have one in our family who I would have never thought would be one of the top Pediatric Anesthesiologists in SoCal when he was a kid. Everyone has to start somewhere, and by the time a new Doc gets to being the head guy, he has had years of supervised experience. Be watchful, AJ, but don't toss him out just because he's young.

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Guest Texas Jack Black

It is quite easy to check out his credentials .It is always good to get a second opinion.

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It is quite easy to check out his credentials .It is always good to get a second opinion.

And just what does that mean? Check him out how? He completed a residency program and this is his first posting immediately thereafter. Outside of his work as a resident, he's not yet seen a single patient under his own "shingle". How would I check him out further?

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All residencies are not equal but well known programs are generally better (not always but generally) than unknown programs and attract better applicants. Also, your hospital's medical staff has a credentials committee that had to review and accept this physcians's credentials. Every hospital does. If you have a family doctor or you know another physician who is on the hospital medical staff, he knows who is on that committee and could probably get you some deeper insight.

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But at least his 25 years in the biz, and ZERO malpractice or state citations (searchable 5 years) was some comfort that he knew his business.

 

Trust me, AJ, this doesn't mean squat. I've seen some 'good old boy' docs get away with malpractice for years, while seeing truly good docs get sued over totally bogus claims. Give the guy a chance. You will know if something doesn't feel right.

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prayers up for you and just a thought---mebe the Lord put this new doc in the path of your recovery for a reason

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