CancerCompass message board discussion started by Cocojp on 3/15/2007 http://www.cancercompass.com/message-board/message/all,10372,0.htm Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://backend.userland.com/rss RSS.NET: http://www.rssdotnet.com/ Hello,my sentiments go out to the woman who just lost her husband.I lost mine after a two year battle (from hell) on February 5th.you echo so many of the feelings I have upon the death and our husband's characters sound similar...great souls.   I wanted to ask if anyone knows of how I can get in touch with anyone caregiver, patient, friend etc. who has lost someone or for  that matter is surviving due to error during cancer treatment.  He could have used the support and I surely could have and could use a support group now as some of the trauma is particular to that version of hell....Having said that, more treatment works well than not so not to fear.Just that when errors do occur and they are horrific tragedies, it would be nice to be able to access others and I have not been able to get any support from lawyers, doctors, social workers to this end at all....just others to commiserate with, exchange information, get suppport and offer support too.If anyone can point me in the direction of those who are living due to errors or have lost due to medical errors during the course of treatment, I would be so so so very grateful.With all the prayers in the world going out to everyone dealing with cancer from every angle, I wish for you all you need and the very best of love, care and support.Sincerely,cocojp  Cocojp Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT If you really tried, you could get a lawsuit filed and get a settlement if a doctor put a band-aid on you, and you ended up with an allergic reaction to the glue that held the guaze on to the band-aid. We all could have a suit - but not malpractice. ~~ Just plain not looking, the doc says  - "There is not enough info, we did our best." Not enough info for this disease."  I have researched SOOOO much - and we have a fight.  But, it's not malpratice. They know exactly what they are doing, and why. They count on us to be ignorant. So, we go from there.  Lou38s Thu, 15 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT Let me add - I am not saying that nothing should be done. I am saying not enough is being done. If we go for malpractice, we lose. What must be done has to start with the moral issue of indifference that all of us have had to face. Certain diseases take so much out of those afflicted, by the time there is any chance there may be even an acceptable palliative treatment, it's over. People must first make an awareness of the signs, symptoms - and I would say either general ignorance towards symptoms, or treatment is just not cost effective. Kevin went back and forth to his PCP for 6 months. I don't know - was his doctor absent that semester about tumors and how grave the circumstances can be, depending on the affected area??????? Kevin had the option of what is called PDT. It "blasts" the tumor to "downsize" it, then the chemo can put it in remission. That option is available here at home. They refused him that option. We live in Mass and had to go to Oklahoma for that treatment. I'm not exactly sure of what the law defines as malpractice, but you can be sure it is much too vague with far too many obscure "circumstances" because not enough is known. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I agree, we must start somewhere. But I believe we would be bringing ourselves down to thier level of indifference if we can't find a better place to start. WHERE? This forum right here is a good place to start. I don't think there are too many of us with the time right now to take care of anything else but ourselves and loved ones - but, there are things shared here that will not be forgotten, hopefully for a life changing reason.  Love and hugs - God Bless Lou38s Fri, 16 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT My mother fought tor her GP to take her symptoms seriously for months before he sent her to a specialist. That specialist didn't even bother with a full examination. Even though she was showing classic symptoms at the classic age for throat cancer. He just patted her on the head and said it was stress.8 months later she again went to another GP and despite having a huge lump in her neck to go with the previous symptoms, she was again misdiagnosed and sent home with a "nothing to worry about".Finally I had had enough and sent her in again demanding they take it seriously and lo and behold she finally got diagnosed.If the specialist a full year earlier had bothered to even look down her throat he would have seen a stage 1 or 2 tumour and she would have had a good prognosis. But by the time someone actually did their job her cancer had spread to multiple lymph nodes and she died 9 months later after horrific and (in the case of the chemo), unnecessary treatment. So I harbour a load of anger to those three incompetent doctors and the specialist should be given a serious talking to.But my mother was far more forgiving than I was and didn't want to pursue any action. But I still fume at her be let down and losing her life because of that complacent, condescending git. Kilgh Sat, 17 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT  On 3/17/2007 Kilgh wrote:My mother fought tor her GP to take her symptoms seriously for months before he sent her to a specialist. That specialist didn't even bother with a full examination. Even though she was showing classic symptoms at the classic age for throat cancer. He just patted her on the head and said it was stress.8 months later she again went to another GP and despite having a huge lump in her neck to go with the previous symptoms, she was again misdiagnosed and sent home with a "nothing to worry about".Finally I had had enough and sent her in again demanding they take it seriously and lo and behold she finally got diagnosed.If the specialist a full year earlier had bothered to even look down her throat he would have seen a stage 1 or 2 tumour and she would have had a good prognosis. But by the time someone actually did their job her cancer had spread to multiple lymph nodes and she died 9 months later after horrific and (in the case of the chemo), unnecessary treatment. So I harbour a load of anger to those three incompetent doctors and the specialist should be given a serious talking to.But my mother was far more forgiving than I was and didn't want to pursue any action. But I still fume at her be let down and losing her life because of that complacent, condescending git.Its not always ingnorance.  If you are part of an HMO, it COSTS your primary care pyhsician to order tests or refer you to a specialist.  That was the case with us.  We sked for a colonoscopy for 6 months, but no.    We finally went around and ordered it ourselves to find out my wfe was stage IV.  Too late.    Mattncalif Fri, 13 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT About 18 years ago after having had a 2nd bypass surgery 7 years before, I was under the care of a Cardiologist that belonged to a team that channeled their surgery patients to a famous surgeon that used to do 20 to 30 bypass surgeries a day. When 7 years later I began to again having chest pain and had to keep taking nitro pills constantly, my cardiologist tols me that according to the surgeons post op, my veins were of poor quality, and was tols that my only option was to wait until it was an emergency and then take my chances on the operating table. I decided not to wait and flew to California where a Cardiologist team at Stanford after vieing the films I had brought with me said they could not see anything wrong with my veins. They ran a catheterization and determined that I needed immediate surgery, which I had it done, and a young surgeon came in to see me and when I asked him about my chances, he laughed them off saying thay all I had was alot of plumbing and that instead of the usual 2-3 hour, it was going to take about 6-7.I was letting die in Houston because they would not take the time to cure me.Upon my retutn to Houston I asked a top Attorney about suing the doctors and his answer was, "if you had died, your wife would have had a great case, but since you survived, forget it".  Ciscox Fri, 13 Apr 2007 00:00:00 GMT my mom was going to her doctor for about 4 months (beginning in january 06) saying "something just isn't right" ..of course she didn't think she had cancer but she knew something was wrong.. they kept misdiagnosing her too.. then in april 06 she was diagnosed with stage IV kidney cancer with mets on her spine.. she is currently bedridden and on hospice near the end of her life. Mellfish Tue, 01 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT