Can you spare some PS dust? (Health related)

[rosetta]

I don't have experience of American healthcare so I won't comment on that, just wanted to say I'm thinking of you and sending buckets of DUST your way.

 

[Sky56]

I am sending lots of dust your way!! Pamela's behavior was cruel and you are right to report it. Best wishes!!!

 

[Calliecake]

Misfit, just wanted to let you know I've been thinking of you and hope your PCP appointment goes well today. Sending lots of dust your way honey!

 

[OreoRosies86]

Sounds like Pamela needs to seriously consider a career change

I am sending you ALL the dust I can muster.

 

[yennyfire]

Tons of dust LM! I'm so sorry that b*tch made what is already a super stressful situation even worse. Shame on her!

 

[chemgirl]

Loads of dust to you.

Not like this whole situation isn't stressful enough, you have this receptionist's incompetence to deal with. Ugh.

I'm going in tomorrow for yet another set of scans so you have been at the front of my mind all day. Goodluck! I sincerely hope this is all a false alarm and that you will be relaxing with this all behind you at this time next month.

 

[NOYFB]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the continued good thoughts, vibes, dust, etc. I really appreciate them. I went to see my PCP today and told him how upset I was at Pamela's behavior and how I felt dismissed and like an inconvenience to her. He acknowledged that she's been "snarky to patients" and said "she's going through menopause". He did, however, assure me that my referral would be taken care of and didn't even charge me for the visit. I told him that I don't want him to drop out of the network because I really like having him as my doctor. His opinion seemed to be that my HMO was nothing compared to all the Managed Medicares he's been seeing. As it turns out, Pamela has another referral to do for a patient that needs a colonoscopy, so looks like she'll be getting herself well-versed in the online referral process. My PCP agrees with me that the mass needs to be removed whether it's benign or malignant and said I should discuss with the surgeon if a biopsy is even necessary if the plan is to surgically remove it anyway. I thought that was a good point, so will be sure to discuss that with the surgeon in 2 weeks. I've also informed my CEO and my District Director that I'd be having surgery soon, so there shouldn't be any issues with me taking FMLA/short term disability, etc. I have no idea how long the recovery time will be, if I'll have drains or anything like that....or, if it is malignant, what the next course of treatment will be. But, I will jump off that bridge when I get to it. For now, I'm going to try to remain calm and think positive that it's just a benign mass that, once out, will be done and over with.

Deep breaths. In and out....

 

[Enerchi]

Well that sounds far more positive and upbeat than when you first posted -- YAY! I'm glad its a bit brighter looking forward.

AND --- you go girl! I'm glad you shared your "Pamela thoughts" w your MD - she's a pill and needs to be reminded that she is in the public dealing w sensitive health issues that a lot of ppl will find quite stressful. Hopefully its her own colonscopy she's going for - and they chose to not sedate her or lube the tube!! HAHAHAHAHA!!! (take *THAT* Pamela!! )

 

[Autumnovember]

Lm, lots and lots of dust. I'm thinking of you. I know its so much easier said than done but please try to keep your thoughts positive. As for Pamela, you need to speak with your PCP. If I or anyone at the practice I work at ever treated any of our patients that way, we would be fired on the spot. That is so absolutely unacceptable and disrespectful. Lots of positive vibes headed your way!!

 

[missy]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the continued good thoughts, vibes, dust, etc. I really appreciate them. I went to see my PCP today and told him how upset I was at Pamela's behavior and how I felt dismissed and like an inconvenience to her. He acknowledged that she's been "snarky to patients" and said "she's going through menopause". He did, however, assure me that my referral would be taken care of and didn't even charge me for the visit. I told him that I don't want him to drop out of the network because I really like having him as my doctor. His opinion seemed to be that my HMO was nothing compared to all the Managed Medicares he's been seeing. As it turns out, Pamela has another referral to do for a patient that needs a colonoscopy, so looks like she'll be getting herself well-versed in the online referral process. My PCP agrees with me that the mass needs to be removed whether it's benign or malignant and said I should discuss with the surgeon if a biopsy is even necessary if the plan is to surgically remove it anyway. I thought that was a good point, so will be sure to discuss that with the surgeon in 2 weeks. I've also informed my CEO and my District Director that I'd be having surgery soon, so there shouldn't be any issues with me taking FMLA/short term disability, etc. I have no idea how long the recovery time will be, if I'll have drains or anything like that....or, if it is malignant, what the next course of treatment will be. But, I will jump off that bridge when I get to it. For now, I'm going to try to remain calm and think positive that it's just a benign mass that, once out, will be done and over with.

Deep breaths. In and out....

Glad it worked out lil misfit and still thinking good thoughts for you and sending healthy vibes your way. Hoping for good results and an all clear!!!

 

[MissGotRocks]

So far, so good! However, many of us worked through menopause and didn't get a free pass to be rude and unfeeling. I think Pamela needs to find another line of work!

More dust and fingers crossed for an excellent outcome for you!!

 

[stracci2000]

Lil Misfit, I hope it all works out OK for you.
Dealing with Healthcare coverage always seems to be an uphill battle.

 

[Bonfire]

I'm surprised your doctor said there may be no need to biopsy if they are removing the mass anyway. All breast lesions are biopsied before they are removed. That has been my experience.
I'm sending you dust, dust and more dust! Keep that great attitude, you will be fine

 

[NOYFB]

I'm surprised your doctor said there may be no need to biopsy if they are removing the mass anyway. All breast lesions are biopsied before they are removed. That has been my experience.
I'm sending you dust, dust and more dust! Keep that great attitude, you will be fine

Hi Bonfire. According to my MD, biopsies are not always accurate, because the needle may not pierce the "bad" part of the mass, thereby giving false negatives. Also, because I'm panning to have it removed anyway, regardless if it's benign or malignant, they can do the pathology report on the entire mass, not just a small portion. But, we'll see what the surgeon says.

BTW, Pamela finally got off her ass and completed my referral. She gave me 2 visits with the surgeon, and I'll probably need at least 3, if not 4, depending on what transpires, so she's going to have to go through the (apparently painful ) process again. Ugh. I'm more than a little bit upset that she admitted to me, not once, not twice, but 3 times that the only way she was able to get the referral done online was to take my medical records home with her and have her husband help her with the process. That's a serious HIPAA violation!

 

[Andelain]

Dust, dust, & more dust.


And be sure to report that HIPAA violation after you get the referrals you need.

 

[Dee*Jay]

LM, I don't know how I missed this thread before, but huge buckets of dust coming your way!

As for the referral and HIPAA thing... just beyond words. Seriously, I can't even comprehend this. As you know, I work in a different but also heavily regulated industry and if something like this was reported to our primary regulator there would be HELL to pay. The most important thing of course is that you get the treatment you need and deserve, but once everything is straightened out I really hope you will report this.

Biggest hugs to you my friend!

 

[missy]

So far, so good! However, many of us worked through menopause and didn't get a free pass to be rude and unfeeling. I think Pamela needs to find another line of work!

More dust and fingers crossed for an excellent outcome for you!!

Yeah, really. Poor excuse and she is out of line. She shouldn't be in this line of work. Truthfully the whole experience is unprofessional beyond words. Being in the healthcare field I know firsthand that's unacceptable and if any of my staff ever behaved like that they wouldn't have a job to come to the next day. UNACCEPTABLE. The fact that your PCP allows her to get away with that behavior (if he does) makes him just as much at fault IMO.

LilMisfit, still keeping you in my thoughts and prayers and hoping for everything to turn out A-OK. And sending lots of virtual hugs your way.

 

[Circe]

So far, so good! However, many of us worked through menopause and didn't get a free pass to be rude and unfeeling. I think Pamela needs to find another line of work!

More dust and fingers crossed for an excellent outcome for you!!

Yeah, really. Poor excuse and she is out of line. She shouldn't be in this line of work. Truthfully the whole experience is unprofessional beyond words. Being in the healthcare field I know firsthand that's unacceptable and if any of my staff ever behaved like that they wouldn't have a job to come to the next day. UNACCEPTABLE. The fact that your PCP allows her to get away with that behavior (if he does) makes him just as much at fault IMO.

LilMisfit, still keeping you in my thoughts and prayers and hoping for everything to turn out A-OK. And sending lots of virtual hugs your way.

Ditto to both Ms M's ... Pammy's giving the profession a bad name.

L'il Misfit, I'm so terribly sorry you're going through this. I hope you get the care you need promptly and professionally, both for your physical health and for your peace of mind. The last thing you need on top of the threat of a dreadful disease is to have to stress about whether your caregivers can get it together to treat you properly.

 

[NOYFB]

And be sure to report that HIPAA violation after you get the referrals you need.

I am planning on it.

 

[Sky56]

Thanks for the update...and more dust to you!!

btw, Pamela us gives menopausal ladies a bad name! Dried-up gonads are no excuse for rudeness.

 

[chemgirl]

Any way you can report Pamela for bringing patient files home and showing them to her husband? That's just insane.

 

[Sparklelu]

Just checking in to chuck more dust your way!!
And basically Pamela not only violated HIPPA in a big way, but admitted the job is too much for her, so hopefully her boss will take pity on her a give her a less demanding job, filling out new job applications !

 

[NOYFB]

I met with the surgeon on Monday. When I told him what my PCP said about false negatives with a biopsy he looked confused and said "I'm not going to miss it because I'm going to see it", and also, if he is going to remove it, he said he would also need to remove other tissue, including the lymph node, etc, so he wants to make sure what he's getting into. So we are going ahead with the biopsy next Wednesday and going from there. He did an exam as well and said that the mass wasn't palpable, so that's a good thing, I guess.

I will keep you all posted. Thank you again for all the dust and positive energy. I really appreciate it.

 

[woofmama]

Thanks for the update LM. I hope all goes well next Wednesday! Please keep us posted. Sending positive thoughts your way!

 

[missy]

I met with the surgeon on Monday. When I told him what my PCP said about false negatives with a biopsy he looked confused and said "I'm not going to miss it because I'm going to see it", and also, if he is going to remove it, he said he would also need to remove other tissue, including the lymph node, etc, so he wants to make sure what he's getting into. So we are going ahead with the biopsy next Wednesday and going from there. He did an exam as well and said that the mass wasn't palpable, so that's a good thing, I guess.

I will keep you all posted. Thank you again for all the dust and positive energy. I really appreciate it.

Hugs and lots of healing thoughts and positive dust being sent your way!!!

 

[Enerchi]

I'm glad you are seeing a specialist and getting things further assessed. Knowledge is power and the more info you have, the less scary it becomes... or so I think!

I'm keeping positive thoughts in my mind for you, Lil Misfit!!! (((HUGS)))) this will be a breeze and you will have good results - fingers crossed and a dump truck of PS DUST coming your way!

 

[luv2sparkle]

Hugs, Lil Misfit. I hope and pray it is benign and you can take a breath again. Much dust sent your way.

 

[movie zombie]

........BTW, Pamela finally got off her a$$ and completed my referral. She gave me 2 visits with the surgeon, and I'll probably need at least 3, if not 4, depending on what transpires, so she's going to have to go through the (apparently painful ) process again. Ugh. I'm more than a little bit upset that she admitted to me, not once, not twice, but 3 times that the only way she was able to get the referral done online was to take my medical records home with her and have her husband help her with the process. That's a serious HIPAA violation!

time to have another talk with her employer, the doctor?!

 

[MissGotRocks]

Good luck with the biopsy! Here's hoping it's all good!

 

[Beacon]

Sorry you are going thru this bad time!

I have a lot of experience with breast biopsy so here's some info:

Ask what your BiRADS number is. It's a number between 0-5 and gives an idea how serious they think the mass looks. I would biopsy it first and remove it in a second procedure. Here's why: if they do a needle biopsy it leaves a minimal scar and if the mass turns out to be nothing, you might be able to leave it at that. If the biopsy shows cancer, a new decision will be made, most likely after an MRI, as to how to treat it. Maybe a lumpectomy will do the job, but they will want to do a sentinel node biopsy at the same time, which is a more involved staging operation. If you have the mass totally removed and it turns out to be cancer you will definitely need a second surgery to do the sentinel node procedure and it is tedious to have two surgeries.

The needle biopsy, whether US guided core or stereotactic, is not a difficult procedure and you will be awake and the recovery is easy and there is no scar. Both are adequately diagnostic for a mass. Fine needle biopsy sometimes is inaccurate, but it is doubtful you will have a fine needle biopsy. Core needle biopsies are done by a radiologist. Excisions are done by surgeons and if you have that done, be darned sure you hire a doctor who specializes in breast surgery, not a general surgeon.

In other words, it would be best to know what you are dealing with before you have a surgical procedure. Your situation may have unique features that make it different, but usually the above is good advice.

Good luck and i hope it is nothing at all!