A Second Opinion
Everything I have read about the treatment of cancer strongly recommends getting a second opinion. This is Bob’s update to friends and relatives on just such a second opinion, and a wonderful confirmation on the treatment that I am currently receiving. … PLM
Yesterday (19 August) we drove to Seattle for a second opinion on Morningstar's condition and treatment. It was a rainy, dark day and the traffic was heavy, but the news was good. We met with a Medical Oncologist at the Puget Sound Cancer Centers. He was highly recommended and the PSCC are well thought of in the medical community. We had sent copies of her chart materials the week before and he had set aside 75 minutes for the consultation.
After a brief exam and history taking he said that Morningstar's response to treatment was remarkable, he had only seen one other person in 5 years actually have a collapsed lung re-inflate and experience tumor shrinkage after only two chemotherapy sessions. This allowed the Doctor to conclude that if all went well, Morningstar could certainly expect both more time and a better quality of life than had originally been projected. He also felt that the treatment regime was not only adequate but admirable and asked our permission to write a letter to Morningstar's physician commending him on his work.
We went away reassured and certainly more hopeful. So why was the second opinion necessary? Our current physician is obviously technically very competent, but must have been trained in people skills by Eeyore. Hope is a vital part of any treatment process and while the Doctor we met with yesterday did not in any way minimize the awfulness of this disease and gave no Pollyannaish predictions, he did point out the remarkable results so far, reassured us about the current treatment (and our physician), and brought compassion, humor, and expertise to the discussion.
Now we must make the effort to re-engage our own doctor and work to open up more substantive communications. The letter from the PSCC Medical Oncologist will help, but the real work will be ours. The treatment Morningstar is getting is leading edge stuff and the results are exceeding expectations. Now we need to get us all acting as the team that is promised in the brochures. Go team.
… Bob
Yesterday (19 August) we drove to Seattle for a second opinion on Morningstar's condition and treatment. It was a rainy, dark day and the traffic was heavy, but the news was good. We met with a Medical Oncologist at the Puget Sound Cancer Centers. He was highly recommended and the PSCC are well thought of in the medical community. We had sent copies of her chart materials the week before and he had set aside 75 minutes for the consultation.
After a brief exam and history taking he said that Morningstar's response to treatment was remarkable, he had only seen one other person in 5 years actually have a collapsed lung re-inflate and experience tumor shrinkage after only two chemotherapy sessions. This allowed the Doctor to conclude that if all went well, Morningstar could certainly expect both more time and a better quality of life than had originally been projected. He also felt that the treatment regime was not only adequate but admirable and asked our permission to write a letter to Morningstar's physician commending him on his work.
We went away reassured and certainly more hopeful. So why was the second opinion necessary? Our current physician is obviously technically very competent, but must have been trained in people skills by Eeyore. Hope is a vital part of any treatment process and while the Doctor we met with yesterday did not in any way minimize the awfulness of this disease and gave no Pollyannaish predictions, he did point out the remarkable results so far, reassured us about the current treatment (and our physician), and brought compassion, humor, and expertise to the discussion.
Now we must make the effort to re-engage our own doctor and work to open up more substantive communications. The letter from the PSCC Medical Oncologist will help, but the real work will be ours. The treatment Morningstar is getting is leading edge stuff and the results are exceeding expectations. Now we need to get us all acting as the team that is promised in the brochures. Go team.
… Bob
posted by Looking for Hope | 4:37 PM
1 Comments:
Such good news... I hope you both know that without leaving comments, there are many of us reading and really pulling for you...Take care.
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