Truth Teller
How comfortable are you with your care team (doctors and nurses) that they are being truthful on all fronts of your care?
Do you think they leave room to exaggerate or under-exaggerate?
From my experience the side effects of treatment are minimized, while the efficacy of the treatments are exaggerated. I have had to switch treatments 4 x in 11 years. Each time I was told that this treatment would help me live a normal life with a normal life span.
On the opposite end, I was told that a full molecular response would not be achieved. I was able to do that twice.
As it stands, I pay little attention to what is said to me, and a whole lot of attention to what my body is experiencing. That is what has alerted me when things have gone sideways. With the help of specialists outside the field of oncology I was able to bridge the gap.Though our bodies are part of this partnership of demise, it truly is the true partner that shows up or shows out if these fancy treatments work or don't. This goes back to my statements...everyone is so different in knowing how this or that will work or not, though the data is what the doctors are betting on, the body knows and does what it's gonna do, and we follow the lead. Cheers to bridging the gap!
I've had a few different doctors in the 15 years I've had leukemia. One of them in particular just didn't tell me everything. He was a very nice man, and I liked him in general. But when it came to my care, I needed someone who I could trust to keep me informed and communicate with me. Our doctors work for us, we pay them. So I feel I have every right to trust my gut and see a doctor who communicates with me and listens to my needs.
I couldn't agree with you more; although we want the best bedside manner we also want transparency and competence. It can be a tall order but when our lives are on the line, we do what we have to do to make the call in getting the services to our liking as we move forward.
I have come to believe the best way to judge how you will do in any medical situation is to follow your instincts. If it does not feel right it most likely is NOT in your best interest to continue . - With any medical provider my approach is "Trust but Verify" Dennis(Blood-Cancer.com TEAM)
This is so true, but like many, we leave room to not trust that gut and see how it plays out and hopefully move forward when we see that this union is truly not going to work. It's that wait time that can be tricky, as timing can be of the essence in most cases.
