On 5/13/2009
Daughter of Karen wrote:
This is my first post. I am sorry to be here but I just lost a friend to mel and so I take cancer very seriously. Today my mother saw the Dr. she has 3 nodules in L breast and will go for high contrast MRI on Friday. We are not in a large metro area and I am wondering if the Dr's/hospitals and care are sufficient or if we need to get her to NYC or Boston (both within 4 hours of where we live) for evaluation. She is supposed to see a surgeon on Monday so I guess her Dr. suspects something...
Thanks so much for any advice about how to handle these next few appointments.
Love and Light,
DOK
Dear DOK,
It sounds to me that at this point of the game the dr's orders are appropriate - you know the nodules are there, now time to find out what they represent. Much of the time the next steps that are taken are dictated by the insurance company - while a PET scan or biopsy would possibly be more conclusive than the MRI, the insurance company may be insisting on MRI as the next step. Also, breast cancer CAN be diagnosed or disproved with MRI, so my advice is just to wait and see what they say.
Not living in a large metro area is not necessarily a disadvantage in terms of treatment for cancer. I live in a fairly rural area in central PA, get my medical care through a clinic in a town of about 50,000. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I discovered that my surgeon is extremely highly respected in the field of breast conservation surgery, considered by many to be one of the finest breast cancer surgeons in this region of the country. Who knew??
Give the drs a chance - they may be competent, caring physicians who will do what is necessary and appropriate for your mom. Then when you get the results, feel free to post again to this message thread if you want opinions on what they said. If you have any reason to question what they are saying, requesting a second opinion is certainly always a reasonable option (and indeed many physicians will offer that option when they outline a plan of treatment.) If you do go for a 2nd opinion and you get the same recommendations as the local physician, then I would consider just staying with the local physician. While we want the absolute best treatment for our loved ones, we also sometimes are wise to consider the toll that travel, etc, might take on that person.
Sincerely,
Tre