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What are your elationships with healthcare professionals and experience with shared decision-making?
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LizziB
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LizziB
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Last activity on 02/04/2024 at 00:46
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280 comments posted | 35 in the Breast cancer Forum
19 of their responses were helpful to members
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Hi everyone,
How are you doing today?
Let's get this conversation started! Here are some questions to get us stared:
What is your relationship with your doctor? Are you satisfied with your care? Do you trust them? How is the communication? What do you discuss?
@Lilyb1 @UkerDot @savvypatient4patients @Stephanie1 @Lulu61 @Cassiekins @Audreybarber @Caegarwgirl @Gillyt @dawnselby @JanJanx @DeniseMcginty
Take care,
Lizzi
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TeaTime22
TeaTime22
Last activity on 06/05/2024 at 20:04
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10 comments posted | 9 in the Breast cancer Forum
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Hi @LizziB
I had a great team of doctors, I could not be happier with them. We had a great relationship, I trusted them, I felt like they were always honest with me and straightforward. My doctor even gave me her cell number which settled my nerves at the beginning, knowing I could text was calming. They have been really helpful when I talk about planning the future.
LizziB
Community managerGood advisor
LizziB
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Last activity on 02/04/2024 at 00:46
Joined in 2022
280 comments posted | 35 in the Breast cancer Forum
19 of their responses were helpful to members
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Hi @TeaTime22
Thank you for sharing your experiences. I will tag the other members to see if they have any thoughts or experiences they would like to share.
@AngeliqueChampion @Dragon1404 @Soomeyrals @HelenWilliams @Maggie1954 @Tiny17 @Maryhighfield @Lilyb1 @UkerDot @Stephanie1 @Lulu61 @Cassiekins @Audreybarber @Caegarwgirl @Gillyt @dawnselby @JanJanx @DeniseMcginty
Please respond by clicking the green "comment on the discussion" button. You can refer to the initial questions and respond freely.
Take care,
Lizzi
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UkerDot
UkerDot
Last activity on 14/02/2023 at 00:57
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2 comments posted | 2 in the Breast cancer Forum
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The relationship with my Oncologists has been hit and miss over the last 4 years. Since I was diagnosed with Metastatic Stage 4 Cancer in December 2018, I've had four different Oncologists.
My first oncologist was great, she had time for me, was empathetic, had a good bedside manner, was clear and concise and treated me as a person and not a number. The second oncologist was dreadful, so much so that I had to request to be moved to someone else. He was aggressive, had no bedside manner, and at one point accused me of not telling the truth when I reminded him of what he told me at the previous meeting I'd had with him!!The third was good, but I only saw him twice before they had a big re-shuffle and I've now been allocated to a team of 4 different oncologists.
I do understand that there is a national shortage of oncologists so they're all doing a number of jobs and looking after more patients than usual. This means therefore that there is limited time at each appointment and if I have any questions they tend to be dealt with by the breast care nurse and not the oncologist, because they've had to dash off to the next patient. This means that I either have to wait for answers to come back from the oncologist from any questions the nurse couldn't answer, or I decide not to ask the question in the first place, which isn't ideal.
I do sometimes feel that I'm just on a conveyor belt and am not really treated as an individual. I do trust my oncologists I'm allocated to at the moment, they discuss my case at MDTs so I know there is also a larger team behind me. However I don't feel that I'm able to discuss day to day concerns with my oncologists and I certainly don't feel I have any sort of relationship with them, which makes me feel sad.
I do feel I am getting the best treatment I can. However I'd like to be able to ask about things that have been on my mind for many months now... such as: How many lines of treatment are open to me in the future, I'd like to ask about Clinical Trials and about how to research these. I'd like to ask about what to expect when the lesions on my lungs start to grow again and how this may affect my breathing etc. I don't feel able to do this due to the speed of the appointments and I do feel they're always looking at the clock!!
A friend recently described herself as feeling broken and insignificant in the eyes of her oncologist! Surely none of us should be made to feel like this, no matter whether there are massive staffing issues or not. It also concerns me that I'm not the only one who has felt like this!!
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LizziB
Community managerGood advisor
LizziB
Community manager
Last activity on 02/04/2024 at 00:46
Joined in 2022
280 comments posted | 35 in the Breast cancer Forum
19 of their responses were helpful to members
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Hello everyone,
How are you today? 😊
As you know, a good relationship between the patient and her doctors is important to better manage metastatic breast cancer. Please, share your story with doctors!
Feel free to share your experience with us here!
Take care,
Lizzi from the Carenity Team