Not sure how to deal with doctors

PamelaD · New User Joined: 22 Oct 2006 Posts: 7

About 3 weeks ago a CT scan came back as "findings indicate uterine cancer or neoplasm." There is a mass that is 10 x 12cm (3.9 x 4.7 inches) arising from and involving my uterus. It has also infiltrated the abdominal wall. The oncologist said he believes it is a fibroid, not cancer. I have been in considerable pain before and since and now surgery will not be until November 20th. I've been given Darvocet, Tylenol 3, Vicodin 5mg, and all of them barely took the edge off and most of the time I couldn't tell a difference. I have been taking more than twice the recommended Tylenol 3 to get relief.

I called my surgical oncologist and asked for better pain medication. He said that I needed to see my family doctor. I saw him yesterday and he said that the oncologist and/or gynocologist need to address it because they are now primary and treating me. He gave me 6 days worth of Vicodin 7.5mg until I get one of the others to do something.

I left a message with my gynocologist about the pain and have not heard back yet. I don't have a lot of faith that he will adequately respond since I told him that the Vicodin and Darvocet barely did anything and he still said that he would only give me Tylenol 3.

I am in constant pain, cannot straighten up, and sometimes the sharp pains are to the point that I am crying. The mass is compressing my bladder and it is absolute agony to pee that starts at emptying and lasts several minutes.

I feel like the doctors don't believe me. I started a pain journal when I woke up with pain last night at 1:30am. I am tracking each time I take a medication, what the pain is, and what relief there is.

My next resort is to accept my sister's offer of some of her strong pain medication that she takes because of severe migraines and recent surgeries on her wrist and to remove a tumor behind her eardrum.

Any suggestions would be welcome.

Pamela

Richard Day Gore

I hope you're no longer in such distress. It's a shame, but doctors are not the gods we once were taught to think, but human beings. And while that brings compassion, skill, knowledge and dedication, it can also bring unreturned calls, insensitive replies to sensitive questions, and even rudeness. For a doctor to not return multiple calls of a patient in distress is inexcusable. As someone who's been through a w-i-d-e variety of doctors since my own cancer adventure began, I'd advise you to find a specialist you're more comfortable with even if you have to travel hours to see him. It's worth it for the peace of mind alone.
Good luck, the right people are out there!
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Richard Day Gore

CancerGenius · Regular Joined: 11 Nov 2007 Posts: 14

I just read your post today.

I know it's been over a year, but I wondered if you made any progress with the pain?

My friend has gone through the exact same thing you did.

I think Vicodyn and Oxycondin are the 2 most popular, but I don't have any confidence in the medical or pharmacutical establishments.

brainman

Tim, not only is this topic over a year old but PamelaD's most recent post was in November 2006. Nothing wrong with reactivating the topic but I do not know if PamelaD will reply. Richard is still active and he might reply.
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Jim
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2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendoglioma grade 3, same location.
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PamelaD · New User Joined: 22 Oct 2006 Posts: 7

The entire story is posted in the uterine cancer forum (hope this link works) http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=4703

I went to my gyno for pain relief and he saw how sick I was and got the oncologist to move up the surgery. I believe he did give me Vicodin.

That wasn't my first experience with trying to manage pain, now that I think about it. I was having attacks of pain in my upper abdomen that radiated to between my shoulder blades maybe 15 years ago. Lots of visits to my doctor, upper GI and various other tests didn't find anything wrong. One day I was in so much pain that I (barely able to) drove to my doctors. He basically wouldn't do anything and I told him I needed something for the pain. He said he couldn't do that. No exam, nothing. When we started to leave the exam room I couldn't stand up straight. He asked, "You can't straighten up?" I said "No."

He sent me to a surgeon who did an ultrasound and found a severely inflamed gallbladder. Urgent/emergency gallbladder surgery is not common, from what I read at the time, but i was in surgery within hours.

Do doctors see so many people who are just trying to get drugs that they don't believe what their patients are telling them?

About 2 months ago I went to my doctor, not the one that I had 15 years ago, because of sharp pains that were similar to what I had last year. I had a urinary tract infection and because of the history of abcess he sent me for an ultra sound. He said to me, "I know you and if it wasn't bothering you, you wouldn't be here."

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