Medical query : Cancer

[johncgalloway]

Hi Guys


I'm wondering if someone can give advice. My dad heard yesterday (after two weeks waiting for his "doctor" to come back from a conference) that he has cancer of the pancreas (stage 3), two spots the size of R5 coins in his gut and possibly issue with his prostate. The doctor keeps on sending him for more scans, and now after today showed no result, another one scheduled for Monday. At this point in time I am beginning to think my dad is nothing more than a source of income for this doctor, whom I hear from an ex-patient is hardly the best in his practice.

I'm getting antsy, because time is obviously of the essence here, and with the 2 weeks hiatus my dad basically stopped eating because of the stress this is putting on him. Oh and the reason he had to wait two weeks is because a test, that should have been done a Friday before the doctor left for his conference, couldn't be done because said doctor never told my dad to stop drinking his heart medication. When he got to the hospital, the guy there told him no way, no how is he going to cut or prod or stick my dad because my dad can bleed to death due to the thinner blood.

I just can't get straight answers from anyone, I wish my dad would go for a second opinion (he lives in the Boland near Paarl), and I've heard that even within the same practice there are better surgeons.

How does one go about this, get my dad to someone who is willing to help him?

I get that the doctor wants to know every inch of his condition, but why the hell is he sending him for scans in spurts, and not just have the whole lot done in one go? My dad has medical aid, so this isn't a state hospital affair.


Any ideas, suggestions?


Thank you if you do take the time to read and also reply to this.


JC

 

[xrapidx]

I'd imagine something as serious as cancer always warrants a second opinion.

 

[LongOne]

First of all, it is very important to realise that while cancer can be very disruptive of family life, it is no longer an automatic death sentence. Chemo-therapy also does not automatically mean that you are sick for days on end while being treated.

The very first thing to do is to go to a good oncologists. Most large hospitals have an oncology department. The oncologist will help to identify the best treatment and if that includes surgery, he will recommend it. A surgeon is not a good doctor to consult when there are signs of cancer.

Lastly, you dad will now need support. He will be depressed because he thinks he is going to die soon. It is important that he understands that he may still live a long time with the right treatment and that it is even possible that he can be cured.

 

[johncgalloway]

Thanks. I am actually communicating this to my mom now, cause the doctor he is seeing is just a surgeon. Both of them confirmed that is all he is, and my dad was sent to him by one of our GP's, which is telling I guess. Can my dad demand to have him refer him to an oncologist or doesn't he need to. And also, is he entitled to the results of all the scans and such so that he doesn't have to repeat them?

 

[Napalm2880]

Thanks. I am actually communicating this to my mom now, cause the doctor he is seeing is just a surgeon. Both of them confirmed that is all he is, and my dad was sent to him by one of our GP's, which is telling I guess. Can my dad demand to have him refer him to an oncologist or doesn't he need to. And also, is he entitled to the results of all the scans and such so that he doesn't have to repeat them?

You'll need a referral from the GP to go to the oncologist and yes, your dad should certainly see an oncologist before any kind of surgery takes place. He should also be well within his rights to keep all his scans. The priority now should be getting a proper diagnosis and the relevant treatment / surgery as soon as possible. My father (74) has prostate cancer and while initially it came as quite a shock that he's going to die, he's been doing exceptionally well on treatment for the last 8 yrs. He was lucky enough to start his treatments quite early but even now he still goes for second opinions and has swapped between oncologists at least twice now.

 

[johncgalloway]

Hi

I have just spoken to my dad. For better or worse he is sticking with this specialist as apparently he is one of the top four in the Western Cape. I have yet to see the leaderboard, as there seems to be no site, no place where surgeons and medical professionals are actually reviewed in this country. I get the idea that that profession is an Old Boys club that covers each others arses and profits. But what do I know?

I will speak to my dad again to get a clearer idea, but for now it seems that he has made up his mind. I just hope to god this man knows what he is doing. My dad knows one of his patients who had cancer and survived, but I am thoroughly confused as to how this works. Are Oncologists surgeons as well? Or just specialists who refer back to surgeons?

 

[SirFooK'nG]

Ok, Having been through cancer I would advise these steps:

The GP should have organised a biopsy asap with a surgeon. Bloods should be done as an immediate screening test. I would phone an Oncologist regardless of the Doctor's referral or not (even if just for advice). Get all the paperwork (tests, result etc), keep it together. Go see said oncologist.

With my case I went as follows...

GP - Sent me for a test and told me to monitor my lump, not happy with that, i referred myself to an ENT.
ENT - Sent me ASAP for a biopsy, biopsy results not good, referred me to a specialist ENT surgeon.
ENT Surgeon - Removed lump & surrounding glands, confirmed tumour type after 2nd biopsy results, referred me to an Oncologist
Oncologist - Did a treatment plan, cleared it with Med aid, did treatment, Stage 3 Melanoma 5 years later and still clean!

From the day I found my lump to the day I started cancer treatment .. 8 - 9 weeks. Surgery was 3 weeks from the date I found the lump.

 

[johncgalloway]

We're through it, my dad had the "Whipple" op, he survived the op, ICU for a week, going through a period of "ICU delerium", went to a normal ward, recuperated quite well, was released home, started sliding back, after several fights with my mom who is extremely negative about the whole situation, we figured my dad's anti-dep meds were making him more tired and depressed. So he is off the meds, went to the doc for a blood sample due to small issues, but he is currently home and seemingly doing well. Thanks for all your advice, much appreciated! : )