Doctors are human, they make mistakes. Nurses and other healthcare professionals do too. The problem is, in many professions mistakes don’t affect lives quite as directly as they do if someone in health care does.

Someone I know through the Internet brought this home the other day and the message is frightening. Although to err is human, when a doctor refuses to even consider that he or she may have made an error, treating you as a worry wart, that’s gone into another zone completely.

This writer was diagnosed with breast cancer recently. After the shock of the diagnosis, she went ahead with a double mastectomy. She reported that she felt pretty good afterwards and was looking forward to moving on with what she had to do next. No-one could have imaged what happened next.

She went to her doctor to get her drains from the surgery removed and she felt a familiar lump. Her doctor waved her concerns aside and was almost patronizing when he finally agreed to let her go for an ultrasound. The ultrasound showed a lump. Further investigation followed.

When she had her biopsy for her original cancer diagnosis, the tumor had been tagged so it could be noticeable as *the* tumor and not another one. When they checked for the tag – imagine their shock when they found the tumor that she was to have removed, was still there.

So, not only was the doctor disbelieving of his patients, who should know her body better than anyone, he was willing to brush off her concerns. Thank goodness she pushed. I don’t know if I would have.

She has to have more surgery next week. You can read about her journey in her blog, Pink Is Not My Color.

I know we don’t like to be pains, to seem mistrustful. But when it comes to *your* body, you need to stand up for yourself. Doctors aren’t out to make deliberate mistakes but mistakes do happen. The problem is only compounded once if people feel that they can’t possibly make an error. Take care of yourself. No-one else will when it comes right down to it.

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Image: Morguefile.com

Post from: Blisstree

Stand Up For Yourself – It’s Your Body

t least on that front, my weekend just sucked. Otherwise, everything is good – great – in fact!

Meanwhile, I received the following email from Dianna McPhail (Designer of Maizy Grace):

Hello,

I want to tell you how much I like your website. I wish that when I had surgery I would have had a resource like this to go to.

I would like to encourage you to visit our website at www.maizygrace.com.
I am the designer of the original and most supportive post mastectomy
camisole on the market.

We also have a medium weight form that is reasonably priced.
It is designed to be worn right after surgery and thereafter.

Both my products are insurance and medicare reimbursable.

I also do weekend retreats for survivors and you can find out about them either on Maizy Grace website or go to: www.mind-bodyintuition.com.
I hope to be part of your mission in some way.

PS today marks the 17th anniversary of my breast surgery…

WOW. 17th year anniversary of breast surgery! Kudos to you Dianna!

You may want to check the links above.

Post from: Blisstree

Maizy Grace and Retreat for Breast Cancer Survivors

Though nor routinely administered to breast cancer patients, MRI or magnetic resonance imaging has the following benefits:

• can find additional cancerous areas in the breast that previously evaded detection
• discover cancer in the opposite breast that standard imaging tests such as mammography and ultrasound missed
• determine a tumor is actually larger than expected

Whatever is found from the MRI totally alters the treatment in these women with breast cancer.

According to Stephen R. Grobmyer, M.D., an assistant professor of surgical oncology and endocrine surgery in the UF College of Medicine’s department of surgery:

“In these patients, we did one of three things: We offered them a mastectomy, we offered them another treatment — preoperative chemotherapy to shrink the lesion and allow us to save the breast — or, in some cases, we could perform a more precise excision to remove the cancer.

When you operate for breast cancer, you need to achieve clear margins around the tumor. This inability to clear the margin is a problem that continues to plague both breast surgeons and patients. In some recent reports the margin-positive resection rate for breast cancer is up to 50 percent.”

It is good to know that there are other procedures available in breast cancer imagine. If I were the patient I wouldn’t just agree to a total mastectomy if breast-conserving lumpectomy is possible.

Find more details from the University of Florida.

Post from: Blisstree

Other Info Revealed by Breast MRI Will Change Treatment Plan

Heparanase Inhibitor, Potential Anti-Cancer Drug Candidate

Cancer Prevention, Diet and Functional Foods

Women Opting for Double Mastectomies

Breast Cancer Victims Subject to Hurtful Reactions

Post from: Blisstree

Cancer Commentary Links 24-Oct-2007

But what if mastectomy is your only best option? Life must go on I guess and post-surgical lingeries must be the last of your worries, but something you’ll definitely think about at some point.

If you are scheduled for a mastectomy, you may want to check out the post-mastectomy lingeries for women manufactured by WearEase.

WearEase has products such as The Dawn Camisole — a feminine cotton camisole worn home from the hospital after a lumpectomy or mastectomy. The Dawn Camisole is the ONLY undergarment on the market designed by a woman for women that offers unique support that women need in a camisole.

This is not a sponsored post.

Post from: Blisstree

Post-Mastectomy Lingeries for Women: A Must Have Before Surgery