From my past experience, it would be advisable for you to monitor your illness and take charge of your treatment. We must not expect too much from the oncologists as their knowledge on cancer may not be complete. Very rarely will you be able to find a caring and compassionate oncologist.
When the cancerous cells spread to my mother's brain, I noticed that my mother's memory was deteriorating. When I made a telephone call to her medical oncologist and told her about the problem, she replied that failing memory was common among elderly people. I refused to buy her reasoning because my mother was then only 64 years old. To resolve our disagreement, she ordered a brain scan for my mother. When the results
showed that there were brain metastases, she claimed that only 5% of colorectal cancer patients have brain metastases. She then indicated a poor prognosis of 6 months. However when my mother lived beyond her prognosis, the oncologists overlooked the symptoms of new brain metastases. If the oncologists had been more attentive, they
would have suspected new brain metastases when my mother complained that her legs were weak. I suspected new brain metastases but was dismissed by the radiation oncologist. He claimed that the weakness was caused by low sodium level in the blood. Why didn't he suspect of new brain metastases?
Until today I cannot forgive myself for not knowing the full symptoms of brain cancer. If I had known it, I would have insisted that the oncologists ordered a MRI for the brain. At least I could have given my mother another chance to fight against it.
This is a costly lesson for me!
Click here to read about our lousy experience with the healthcare provider.
Therefore it is very important for us to have a good knowledge on the symptoms of various types of cancer. The progression of cancer need not be the same for each cancer patient. My mother's cancer experience could be unique. For the benefit of other cancer patients, you might like to share your medical history as well. If you are keen to share,
please submit your medical history to admin@cancerstory.com. Your identity will be kept confidential.
To read the medical history of other cancer patients, please click here.
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