I reader asked me the other day - "if you could tell me one thing I need to know about cancer, what would it be?"
My answer: choose your doctor wisely. Whether you've decided to undergo the full gamut of treatment or like me, forego it all together, having a doctor with whom you have a warm rapport is a necessity.
I don't mean every doctor. If you're having chemo and radiation or anything else, you'll have specialists who may or may not be particularly personable. I'm talking about your family doctor, your every day doctor, the one whom you can call with concerns or questions. The one who will treat you like he or she really cares about you, not only as a patient, but a person.
I'm lucky because I have that doctor, Doctor Rose Wenrich. She told me early on that she was my doctor, my friend and my advocate. She didn't really have to tell me because I already knew it but I was glad she did anyway.
When I first told her that I didn't even want a cat scan to see if the spot on my lung was cancer she said that wouldn't be her recommendation. When I explained my reasoning, she respected it and me as an adult competent to make my own decisions. She didn't give up on me though but immediately ran tests to see what medicine might be best for me in my situation.
It turned out, she changed my diabetes medication and my blood pressure pills since both my sugar and blood pressure were low. That helped me have more energy. The emergency room doctor who first diagnosed the cancer had already put me on Furosemide (Lasix) and that almost completely took away the shortness of breath I was experiencing.
I still didn't have much stamina so Dr. Rose did some more tests and discovered that I was extremely anemic. She told me to buy over-the-counter iron pills and oh, my Gosh, they worked like a miracle. I now go to Walmart (not that I like going to Walmart) which I couldn't do before. I can climb my stairs without having to rest every third step. I cook again (well, okay, not a lot but some).
I never had impossible expectations for Dr. Wenrich. All I wanted from her was as high of quality of life as possible during the interim and not to suffer at the end. And maybe an affectionate hug when I walk out the door. She already fulfilled the first and last requests and I have no doubt I can count on her for the other as well.
If you don't have that kind of relationship with your doctor, I'd suggest finding another doctor.
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