Robert B. wrote in PPML about his experiences with PC doctors and our healthcare system in general. I am reposting some of his remarks because they sounded to me like “deja vu all over again.”
“The other thing that we have to address is how our medical system encourages docs to deal with us. As I have said before, it is like going to a series of used car salesmen.
“I have only had two docs tell me anything other than ‘My treatment is best.’ The first doc who diagnosed me actually put in a letter that I discussed watchful waiting with him. Huh?
“I must have missed it because he sure did not emphasize it. It was also like pulling teeth to get my slides sent to Johns Hopkins for a second opinion.
“The docs who spent the most time with me: One was a Canadian doctor who spent an hour on the phone with me even though I he knew I was a US patient.
“The other was a foreign born and trained doctor who is practicing here. Very well known doctors in Germany responded via email in less than 24 hours.
“I do give compliments to most of the docs that are or have been associated with the Vattikuti institute in Detroit. So far each has been fairly patient-centered and I am impressed with their demeanor. That said they are surgeons, and for the most part, surgery is the only answer as far as they are concerned.”
The important thing to remember if you are newly diagnosed is not just to comparison shop but to *insist* on having your biopsy slides *reviewed* by an expert. Husb’s urologist talked us out of it, to our detriment. Slides should be sent to a select group of people who are known for their expertise in this area. Here are some names offered by Dr. Stephen Strum, author of “A Primer On Prostate Cancer”:
- David Bostwick (Virginia)