Encouraging Experience~

My experience with my Abilene surgeon has been an extremely good one. He not only found my lump in the first place, but he got on the phone one time when I called and said that he and his office would be walking with me through my journey. He has done that, being dependable to return calls to me and answer questions as they arise.

Beyond that, he has listened to me. After my surgery, he said he wanted me to be on Tamoxafin. I questioned this and explained why (because both breasts were removed), and he agreed that it was not necessary. No need to be right, just listening and adjusting. I then got a little nervous that my input changed the course of action, and so I called my oncologist and talked with her nurse...who checked with that doctor....who thought Tamoxafin was appropriate with the info she had at the moment. I then took that conversation back to the office, and though my doctor was again ready to change as per my discussion, I then asked him to call my oncologist, with no nurse in the middle, and be 100% about this.

So....after phone tag between the two doctors, it was decided I do not have to do this medication. That is a good thing, because it has a list of side effects. Morese than that, though, my physician was willing to do the phone-tag on my behalf. I truly appreciate it.

All that is to say a couple of things, I guess. One, it paid-off for me to take part in the discussion about my health care. Asking questions and doing some phone calls and even making suggestions has spared me the Tamoxafin experience and my family the cost of the drug. Two, doctors are still out there who care and go the distance for their patients. Even at my last appointment with him, he offered to do whatever he could to help if my oncologist needed tests run or the like. How encouraging!!