Stage 4 “no cure without surgery”
Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2020 10:56 pm
Have you heard what my oncologist calls this “dogma?”
She used the word dogma, but seems to believe it. I’ve had three stable scans after a resection that left me NED and a recurrence about 6 months after.
I went in today all celebratory about my third clean scan earning me a chemo break - “maybe forever!” - and she seemed intent on making sure I knew that the most likely thing is that the cancer will come back, because we haven’t surgically removed the new mets.
I mean, I know the odds and statistics; but by their measure I should be dead already.
This reminds me of interviewing my first 3 oncologists, none of whom seemed to believe I had any hope. I left saying to myself, “You don’t know me.” And i had that deja vu today. I know my new onc is clinically strong, but she’s not the optimist my old NW doc was. And Dr K isn’t one to give pep talks...
Not that I need pep talks from my onc.
But I feel like I should not have to give my own medical team a pep talk, either!
I was all set to ring the bell and I asked the nurse, well do I ring it if it’s just a chemo break. She said I could if I wanted. My fav nurse wasn’t there, and I felt so deflated I just left.
Ugh. I want to hang onto my optimism, but am I being naive?
She used the word dogma, but seems to believe it. I’ve had three stable scans after a resection that left me NED and a recurrence about 6 months after.
I went in today all celebratory about my third clean scan earning me a chemo break - “maybe forever!” - and she seemed intent on making sure I knew that the most likely thing is that the cancer will come back, because we haven’t surgically removed the new mets.
I mean, I know the odds and statistics; but by their measure I should be dead already.
This reminds me of interviewing my first 3 oncologists, none of whom seemed to believe I had any hope. I left saying to myself, “You don’t know me.” And i had that deja vu today. I know my new onc is clinically strong, but she’s not the optimist my old NW doc was. And Dr K isn’t one to give pep talks...
Not that I need pep talks from my onc.
But I feel like I should not have to give my own medical team a pep talk, either!
I was all set to ring the bell and I asked the nurse, well do I ring it if it’s just a chemo break. She said I could if I wanted. My fav nurse wasn’t there, and I felt so deflated I just left.
Ugh. I want to hang onto my optimism, but am I being naive?