<p>The doc will know the questions to ask and the ordinary tests to run. Much of that is conventional practice and we let their wisdom and advice guide us. Some issues can wait, sure.</p>
<p>I have a gynecological oncologist who is now my regular gynecologist. He’ll also act as my primary as well and orders the mammogran, do blood tests for my thyroid, cholesterol tests, check the bp, even give me some xanax from time to time. </p>
<p>And trust me, a yearly pap smear doesn’t do diddly squat to diagnose ovarian issues. You need specific tests and ultrasounds on the ovaries.</p>
<p>Don’t feel too bad about postponing regular medical care and now seeing dr. Doctors see all sorts of cases in their practices and also in their training. You can start having regular care now and it will be helpful as you deal with your BT. I think there are quite a few people who don’t start seeing a dr regularly until they are older. </p>
<p>If you have time, you might have your records from the BT dr FAXed over to the new primary care dr before your appt.</p>
<p>Just me–get your physical from new doc without info being faxed about BT. You can tell what you want after meeting him/her. And fax afterwards–you don’t know if you even LIKE the doc before meeting. We’re all human–don’t let it color your physical or expectations from new doc. And if you don’t like the doc–look for another one. Find someone you are totally comfortable with.</p>
<p>Hi Creekland (I’m from the 2012 thread)-- so glad you’re in a good place as far as the BT stuff is coming from. I’m a pediatrician–champion of the check up advocates–and I’m not going to dog you either about not seeing a doctor-- it sounds like overall you’ve got a healthy lifestyle. But good on you for getting everything set up now. A primary care physician (PCP) will help you with gatekeeping stuff wrt your specialists, also. Sometimes that’s their most valuable role–to act as advocate for you. So get one you feel comfortable with and that has good staff–sometimes a phone call from their office can smooth out problems (lab reports not getting where they need to, rushing appts if necessary). </p>
<p>I’d also recommend an internist as PCP, and get a pelvic exam (which is much more than just a pap smear; they can check to make sure things are okay down there, not just screen for cervical cancer) from an OB/gyn, a mammogram and baseline lipid panel (cholesterol) arranged by your PCP. Then you should be good to go, and they should get reports from your radiation oncologist for your BT. You can orchestrate any necessary tests for the rad onc to be done locally if needed; that can simplify your life also. Or if the rad onc insists that they do any bloodwork, those results can go to your PCP so you have everything in one place.</p>
<p>Good luck and xoxo.</p>
<p>As someone who has also been blindsided by medical issues, the biggest thing you need to do is address the acute issue - the tumor. It is extremely difficult for doctors to parse symptoms from potentially multiple conditions, so until you get the tumor addressed it is unlikely that a GP would be confidently able to identify any other problems. It is also unlikely that your oncologist will be able to offer any solid opinion on any non-tumor issues.</p>
<p>That having been said, whether or not you were seeing a doctor in the past you should plan on seeing them regularly from here on out. If nothing else, you will probably see an oncologist 1-2 times a year (or more!) for the rest of your life just to monitor the identified tumor site and look out for others. It would be a good idea to identify a GP soon and establish relationship with him/her, as they will be the first-line defense against any other problems that come up. Both of my major medical issues were caught by a GP who then kicked me over to specialists to narrow the diagnosis and treat the condition.</p>
<p>So I would suggest finding a good GP and making an appointment. At that first appointment, explain your history, tell them about the tumor (including the treating doctor and the treatment plans), and discuss your other concerns. It is quite likely that they will want to take a few simple diagnostic measures but will probably hold off on anything major until after the tumor has been resolved. And from that point, just do what the doctors tell you to do!</p>
<p>I see both sides of that, gouf. One needs to be fair to the doc’s attempt to pull together all the info available. We play a game with med students, sometimes, where, if they don’t ask, they don’t get the info- and it throws off their perceptions. It’s meant to get them not to miss pieces of the puzzle. This isn’t a fresh “second opinion.” It’s about having a PCP on the team. I personally prefer when they know what they need to. Maybe that’s not a discussion of carpal tunnel, on the first visit.</p>
<p>You are right LF but I wouldn’t want to walk into an office with the expectation that I’m sicker than I appear or that one condition has anything to do with another. I wouldn’t say too much until after I’ve actually decided a doc is worth my confidence. Again, just me.
But pt. history is important and I wouldn’t hold it back–I just wouldn’t fax that info prior an initial appointment.</p>
<p>I’m reading and gleaning… thanks to all for sharing their thoughts. I truly am new to all of this and trying to pick up on the learning curve.</p>
<p>There isn’t much to fax over - a few lab tests (thyroid, autoimmune) that I could copy down from my online chart info I suppose just to make sure they don’t copy those (not sure why they would, but…). The PCP is affiliated with the local hospital where I had the MRI done, so I’m thinking they could get results from that if needed (but again, I’m not going to him for that).</p>
<p>In this transition period (from eye specialist to rad onc), I don’t yet even know the name of who’s next. I’m guessing I find that out this week - maybe. Then I’ve no idea how long until that next consultation. The PCP appt is next week. Hopefully we’ll get along… it’s not like there are a whole lot of choices around here without driving elsewhere. There aren’t many people I don’t get along with, so I’m not too worried.</p>
<p>
Actually, you’re going to your PCP for everything–as jaylynn suggests, the PCP should be the gatekeeper for all your medical care, including helping you manage your specialists, so he or she needs to know all the information, including what’s happening with the BT.</p>
<p>I go for a second opinion. I would find the top 3 places in the country for my condition and would visit one of them. I heard about case when local docs did not even take a young patient with Stage 1 cancer. He has not given up. Instead he looked up on-line, went to the number 2 place in the USA (only 2 hours to drive from his hometown), got help and is completely fine, free of cancer and looking forward to have everything in his life that he ever dreamt about. It is a very insiparational story that I will never forget. He is 32 y o and have beutiful young wife and 1 y o baby.</p>
<p>OP isn’t there, Miami. She’s got a specialist at a teaching hospital now and needs a local doc as her gatekeeper or guide, someone to check her overall health, hash out concerns with, someone to translate and, in some cases, offer his/her own medical opinion. This doc will be her holistic support. She is putting together the pieces. One step at a time. That’s good.</p>
<p>I agree with lookingforward, gouf. It is not a good idea when a dr is taking a new patient’s history for them to hold back an important piece of medical history. It would be hard to gain confidence in them if, by holding back critical information, it sends the doctor down the wrong diagnostic path.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Hunt, thanks for summing it up. Looking back, that is what was said all along, but I didn’t catch it. It makes sense now. It also makes sense as to why our personalities should get along… Time will tell on that, I guess, but I do tend to get along with most people I come across.</p>
<p>I have no plans to hold back anything. I might forget something as I’m really not at all used to talking about - or thinking about - health, especially mine (until lately), but I sure wouldn’t hold something back on purpose. That makes no sense to me. The original purpose of going is to see if many of these new things are related - or not - and general overall health. Kids don’t do well on tests without knowing all the info first - I wouldn’t expect any differently from a doctor. </p>
<p>How quickly life can change in less than 2 months. It really makes Bora Bora appealing. (That last bit will only make sense to those who have read the 2012 thread so ignore it if it doesn’t apply - or figure it out as that puzzle isn’t difficult - but I can’t help thinking it right now…)</p>
<p>Nonetheless… thanks for letting me tap into your (collective) knowledge. That’s been priceless.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>If you have a smartphone, keep notes in it; this is what I finally resolved to do. I do have a PCP, but had a number of health issues pop up since last February when I last saw him, that he wasn’t aware of because they’d all been handled by specialists. I scheduled an appt. just to go in and talk to him about everything so he could be up-to-date. But I had SO much to tell him, I kept thinking I was going to forget something (plus I had questions of my own about certain vaccinations, etc. ). So I started a list in the notes section of my iPhone and whenever I thought of something, I just pulled it out and added it to my list; when I went in for my visit, I just pulled out my phone and started going down the list. Made for a very productive visit.</p>
<p>Ideally, all of your specialists should be sending reports on all your medical care to your primary care provider. I think the only exceptions are (1) eye exam results that don’t show anything except the need for corrective lenses and (2) annual flu shots. Even if you go to an urgent care place for a rash that turns out to be poison ivy, which is exactly what your wife told you it was (as my husband did last week), your PCP should be sent a report.</p>
<p>Eyes are fine on their own… and I don’t ever get flu shots (or the flu) as of yet. Perhaps working in school assists the immunity?</p>
<p>Poison Ivy is a regular part of summer on a farm… nothing extra needed there either that isn’t available over the counter.</p>
<p>Youngest has my phone most of the time. It’s kind of his by default. I tend to be a Luddite… but I’ll get mine back once he gets his own this Christmas. Whether I’ll actually use it or not is doubtful. There’s a reason he ended up with it in the first place (I really don’t use it).</p>
<p>Ha, we used to always get some illness in Sept-Oct when all the kids were back together. Your doc will ask about a flu shot and you really should agree. If they don’t offer it, many pharmacies do. It’s not just about preventing the unpleasantness of the flu, but the complications. Especially now, you should seriously consider getting on that train.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Good catch. Totally agree. If the OP is going to be visiting clinics on a regular basis for radiation, then she really wants to do everything she can to protect her immune system! Those places are like walking petri dishes.</p>
<p>I took a class on the flu recently. I learned that there do seem to be some people who may have an ability to fight off the flu without a vaccine. Those are the people who always declare that “they never get the flu.” I thought I was one of those people until I realized I had just gotten lucky. When I finally got it, it was the worse illness I’d ever experienced.</p>
<p>However, even someone who is lucky enough to have the immune system which protects them from illness will have to realize that that only lasts as long as it lasts. Getting an illness which requires chemo, radiation, and/or steroids will now render that person vulnerable, as all these treatments can cause significant immunosuppression. You can no longer assume your body will protect you as it has in the past. Immunocompromised individuals not only are at bigger risk of becoming sick with a severe influenza if exposed, but they are even more vulnerable to serious, if not fatal, complications such as pneumonia.</p>
<p>I hope the OP will consider getting vaccinated for a few of those illnesses to which he may now be especially vulnerable as he undergoes treatment.</p>
<p>I also wish him a full and speedy recovery.</p>