This Might Make You Want To Throw Something

A lot of very sound and intelligent advice has been coming my way regarding a second opinion. I love you all, but I'm not going to follow it and here is why.

I've been seeing my oncologist for 2 years for my blood disorder and I've learned to trust him. I didn't at first because he didn't move fast enough for me. Why wasn't he doing a lumbar puncture? Why didn't he do a splenectomy? Why isn't he concerned that the platelets went down again? It's because he doesn't panic. Based on what he knows, he decided on a treatment, it worked, all was good. There was no need to do invasive and expensive procedures. He didn't panic and it was the right thing to do. My platelets go up and down, but never into worry territory. They're just going to hover around the 20 - 40 range and, while that's not ideal, it's also not worthy of panic.

I've been seeing my gynecologist for 2 months. She ordered ultrasounds based on fuzzy images from the MRI as opposed to looking at the more reliable images from the mammogram which showed nothing on the right side. She wants to do a double mastectomy. She's all for invasive and expensive action. She thought the tumor was a cyst and now thinks cysts could be tumors and she feeds my panic impulse. This seems like the right thing to do. Kill it, take it, make it go away.

But the oncologist says it's unnecessary. Mastectomy because it might one day have cancer on the right? If that's the case, I should have had them both removed a long time ago. He can shrink the tumor while working on the bone cancers and still do a lumpectomy later. There's no need to panic.

So, there, as you can see I already have something of a second opinion. There's a third if you count the surgeon and she agreed with the oncologist.

But the logic of seeing another oncologist completely new to me -- someone who doesn't know my history and will require explanation and testing and driving to Portland or Seattle ... dude, no. I just don't have the energy. Had this happened 2 or even 1 year ago, you would have a stronger case. Not that I would have any more time or energy to shop around, but I would be more inclined to want to talk to someone else. At this point, you're too late. I trust the guy I've got and, like a dentist, once you find a good doctor you stick with them. (I used to drive 40 miles to a dentist because he was the only one I'd found in California who could numb me up properly.)

Now, if you want to talk me out of my "primary care" doctor, I'm all ears. She's been getting copies of everything with no response, not even a check-in-on-you phone call. (My patient has cancer? Well, just file it. I'm sure she looked up all she needs to know on the internet.)