Med-Pros Revisited . . .

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For the record...

I never meant to imply that ALL (or even ANY) med-pros are evil, per se. I have never meant to imply that the med-pros that I have been personally dealing with are themselves evil. My personal experiences do not reflect a general banality of evil in the medical profession, but rather, I believe, a critical flaw in the manner in which our medical system is run in this country. (I say, in this country because I am not familiar enough with the medical politics of other country's health care systems (although I have been a patient in a few). My personal experiences have informed me that the "flaw" in the U.S. medical system is that the profit margin of pharmaceutical companies have far too much influence upon the education and training in our medical schools, as well as our "regulatory" government agencies (i.e., FDA). I also believe that med-pros who think "outside of the pharma box" are penalized if not ostracized, because of their potentiality in negatively impacting pharma's bottom-line.

My first medical onc - Kato, was the most pleasant man. I truly enjoyed our conversations. When push came to shove...meaning when I pushed him outside of his comfort zone, his "world weariness" kicked in and he became ineffectual for me. He could only offer me the cookie-cutter approach -- which was confirmed (and he acknowledged) would have little to no effect on my breast cancer and lots of harm. His "medical tool box" was severely limited.

Dr. Lise Walker, my surgical onc for the mastectomy, was more than competent (and had a good beside manner). If and when I have to consider a mastectomy on the right breast, I would go to her again. She was also instrumental on my "quest" to look beyond the prix fixe menu of adjuvant treatment as it was on her office shelf that I was introduced to "What Your Doctor May NOT Tell You About Breast Cancer" by John R. Lee, M.D.

Dr. Coral Quiet -- the radiation onc whom I consulted numerous times and whom I too pushed outside of her comfort zone -- when pushed, gave me the name of Dr. Michael Lagios - a consulting pathologist and head of the breast cancer center at Stanford Medical Center. Lagios was integral in my decision not to pursue conventional adjuvant treatment.

Dr. Bryan Gawley - reconstructive surgeon. . . well, as I wrote on his holiday card: "All the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty Dumpty together again; but Bryan and his nurse Brenna certainly could!" (Though I still look in the mirror and feel that a black teased hair-style with white bolt streaks on the sides would be more fitting for my new "look.")

Except for the one nurse who unnecessarily assaulted me with a catheter when I was being prepped for surgery this last time (she was stressed that I had not peed for a pregnancy test, and felt that I was unable to waive the test as I had been given a "happy" injection into my IV already) I have not had one single complaint to blog about with regard to the plethora of nurses that have assisted me. I have always known that if you want the true scoop on an individual doctor, get to know the nurses in their practice. It was Oz's belligerent treatment of his own nurse, as well as the general malaise of his entire nursing staff, that solidified my truly negative impressions of him.

Indeed, I do not even view "Oz" as evil. Pompous, arrogant, rude, belligerent, bastard, ass-hole definitely. Evil, no.

"Evil" requires a certain malicious intelligence. And, fortunately, I have not come across any med-pro whose IQ leans in that direction.