Postby roadrunner » Thu Dec 10, 2020 7:36 pm
It appears that your doctors now have access to your blood test results, but you don’t. That suggests that nothing of significance showed up. But of course, this assumes your doctors are responsible, and your tone (e.g., “I probably won’t hear for several months”) suggests that you are not confident that they are, or at the least are very frustrated with them. Perhaps you could call the GI practice (which presumably answers the phone) and basically beg them to send you the results at least. That wouldn’t, of course, resolve your desire to be seen, but it may give you some peace of mind and potentially important information that could influence next steps (see below).
Beyond that, the apparent lack of responsiveness may suggest it’s time to breakup with these doctors. IMHO, it’s just not acceptable to get this kind of delay and non-responsiveness when you’re a cancer patient or survivor, even if it’s been a few years. And especially with these symptoms, which may well not be a worst case scenario, but are worth noting in a cancer survivor. Sadly, doctors often write off patients (and women more than men) as anxious malingerers. I’m male and pretty engaged with my care decisions, and whenever I get even so much as a whiff of that I’m out the door.
But of course, this is just my opinion and view on how I would address this. I’m not a patient person, and less so when it comes to this kind of thing.
7/19: RC: Staged IIIA, T2N1M0
approx 4.25 cm, low/mid rectum, mod. well diff.; lung micronodule
8/19-10/19 4 rds.FOLFOX neoadjuvant, 3 w/Oxiplatin (reduced 70-75%)
neoadjuvant chemorad 11/19
4 rounds FOLFOX July-August 2020
ncCR 10/20; biopsies neg
TAE 11/20, tumor cells removed
Chest CT 3/30/21 growth in 2 nodules (3 and 5mm)
VATS 12/8/21 sub-pleural met 7mm.
SBRT nodule 1/22
6/20/22 TAE rectal polyp benign)
NED from 3/22 - 3/23
4 cycles FOLFIRI
LUL VATS lobectomy for radio resistant met 7/7/23