Butterflew: my dad's BFF since he was a kid is hospital right now dying of a nasty cancer (he's down in PR). He was diagnosed only weeks ago, even though he had had an invasive surgery a year ago here in the states. They somehow missed the giant tumor the first time around, and when he seemed to be getting worse and deteriorating and now they're afraid he won't survive the week. He's in the ICU, tubes running everywhere and he's bleeding from every orifice.

it's really sad and it's a travesty that with the technology we have in the medical field things like these can go undetected for months while the people afflicted are rotting from the inside out.

what kind of surgery and where's the tumor?

inb4 this is what you get in obama's america.

43-year-old grandmother of 5?

Doctor #11, photographed with his assistant.

whatshisname: 43-year-old grandmother of 5?

This is Obama's America.

/or something along those lines

Marcus Aurelius: This was SOCIALIZED medicine. In America, it would have been missed by 7 specialists, but they would have charged more and paid more taxes and insurance fees and thereby propped up our service based economy. And they would have made you wait longer in the waiting room, thereby indoctrinating us to the benefits of TIME magazine.

And 2 or 3 of those specialist wouldn't be in-network.

Butterflew: it's really sad and it's a travesty that with the technology we have in the medical field things like these can go undetected for months while the people afflicted are rotting from the inside out.

The real travesty is that you're paying doctors half a million dollars a year.

Quasar: Not surprised. I've seen 7 or 8 doctors for a couple conditions and got nothing but random guesses, giving up, and random pills. Doctors suck.

This

Too bad it didn't hit this 43-year-old grandmother of 5 earlier in her life. Maybe it could have caused her to have a hysterectomy when she was 12.

/it's ok, I had cancer earlier this year, I can say stuff about us

//you people who haven't had cancer can't do it

Eleven! Eleven bad doctors! Ha Ha Ha!

whatshisname: Butterflew: it's really sad and it's a travesty that with the technology we have in the medical field things like these can go undetected for months while the people afflicted are rotting from the inside out.

The real travesty is that you're paying doctors half a million dollars a year.

If you're really this stupid, you should really go and off yourself before you drown in a dixie cup

whatshisname: 43-year-old grandmother of 5?

Sounds like an high class family!

Still no excuse for 11 doctors missing this.

This is why you don't trust your health to elves.

/Or am I confused?

JJFerret: Quasar: Not surprised. I've seen 7 or 8 doctors for a couple conditions and got nothing but random guesses, giving up, and random pills. Doctors suck.

This

Yep. If it's not obvious, they don't want to be bothered figuring it out. They won't be honest and say "we don't know", either, instead they'll tell you that it's all in your imagination and you're just coming to them to get attention or something.

They're English. It not like they're smart.

/obamacare would have saved her

DrMcNinja: If you're really this stupid, you should really go and off yourself before you drown in a dixie cup

Yes, I really am that stupid. Maybe even stupider.

Do you honestly believe that doctors are worth what they're paid in the US?

At least it wasn't lupus.

Ah... socialized medicine. Gotta love it.

whatshisname: DrMcNinja: If you're really this stupid, you should really go and off yourself before you drown in a dixie cup

Yes, I really am that stupid. Maybe even stupider.

Do you honestly believe that doctors are worth what they're paid in the US?

look up the average salary of a GP, and then look up how much their expenses, loan payments, malpractice insurance are. They make dick. Subspecialists, yeah, they make a lot.

Rule #2 of socialized medical care: if you think that your doctor/a clinic/a hospital emergency room has misdiagnosed your condition, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.

Rule #5 of socialized medical care: Write down your symptoms ahead of time and read them to the doctor; you want to tell him/her about your problem concisely and completely in the 90 seconds of face time that they give you.

if you don't want to die, then don't get born.

c'est simple.

She claims in the article that she had "all the classic signs of cancer"..like what? Random symptoms that no one can figure out?

I'm not saying they shouldn't have done more, sooner.

And if they do prescribe anything, it'll almost always be pills or an operation, when the original reason for your ill-health may be in your environment. "The Sick House Survival Guide" is a great read about one lady who cured herself by moving somewhere healthier.

A lot of today's medicine, unfortunately, is about controlling the symptoms rather than curing the underlying causes. Maybe that's easier for the doctors.

tort reform should fix that too


/tort

This is the part that scares me:

Now after finally being admitted for a scan she has been diagnosed with terminal cancer that has spread to her liver and lymph nodes.

Addicted: Rule #2 of socialized medical care: if you think that your doctor/a clinic/a hospital emergency room has misdiagnosed your condition, GO SOMEWHERE ELSE.

Rule #5 of socialized medical care: Write down your symptoms ahead of time and read them to the doctor; you want to tell him/her about your problem concisely and completely in the 90 seconds of face time that they give you.

Rule #2 of private medical care: if you think that your doctor/a clinic/a hospital emergency room has misdiagnosed your condition, good luck finding someone else who is in your health insurance network.

Rule #5 of private medical care: Write down your symptoms ahead of time and read them to the doctor; you want to tell him/her about your problem concisely and completely in the 90 seconds of face time that they give you, if you can even get face time. Don't even try with a dermatologist. Just see the PA and save yourself the trouble of waiting 6 months for an appointment.

Bathia_Mapes: Maybe you should read Butterflew's comment about a similar situation in the U.S. before making an ignorant comment.

Just what country do you think Obama is the President of? speaking of ignorant.... geez

DreamWeaver: This is the part that scares me:

Now after finally being admitted for a scan she has been diagnosed with terminal cancer that has spread to her liver and lymph nodes.

And I'm no expert here, but shouldn't have there also been some blood tests that could have raised some suspicions too?

That's ridiculous. It's not even funny.

YouFarkingIdiot: whatshisname: 43-year-old grandmother of 5?

Sounds like an high class family!

Still no excuse for 11 doctors missing this.

She had pretty vague complaints, stabbing pain, loss of appetite, "passing blood". These are not "all the signs of cancer" as she makes it out to be. There's a saying in medicine that says "when you hear hoofbeats, look for horses, not zebras". The reason being that common things are common, uncommon things uncommon. It is unfeasible and unethical to send everyone with the signs she was presenting with a scan to look for abnormalities. Even if she was having blood in her stool, the most common reason would be hemorrhoids. In her age group, unless she had a close relative with a cancer history, she wouldn't even be likely in a risk group for colorectal cancer. However, if she did have continued bleeding without a source, they'd likely set her up for a colonoscopy, which would still not have found that particular cancer. Point number 2, if now in september she has diffuse mets from stomach cancer, in April when she first presented it would've likely been too far advance to adequately treat already. This is very common for stomach cancer, it often presents very late in the course.

Medicine is all about statistics, and it works for the vast VAST majority. However, because of it's very nature, there will be patients who don't fall into the statistics. The other alternative being performing every intervention on every patient, sapping away money for everyone else who could be treated (which is the turn medicine is starting to take, anyway). I don't know about this lady's case, I don't know how she presented, all the facts that the physician's were presented. I'm not defending what happened, but i'm also not condemning it. It's an unfortunate situation and it is just a set up for one of FARK's famous "I hate doctors" threads (if you like these, please join us for "I hate cops" and "I hate teachers" threads). I've been working too many hours this month and i've been drinking, so sorry if some of this is inaccurate or typoifyied.

12349876: DreamWeaver: This is the part that scares me:

Now after finally being admitted for a scan she has been diagnosed with terminal cancer that has spread to her liver and lymph nodes.

And I'm no expert here, but shouldn't have there also been some blood tests that could have raised some suspicions too?

Are those even done today? They've been getting more and more rare, it seems.

Esn: 12349876: DreamWeaver: This is the part that scares me:

Now after finally being admitted for a scan she has been diagnosed with terminal cancer that has spread to her liver and lymph nodes.

And I'm no expert here, but shouldn't have there also been some blood tests that could have raised some suspicions too?

Are those even done today? They've been getting more and more rare, it seems.

I get my cholesterol and other vitals like sodium and hemoglobin checked every 6 months. And a blood test was the first clue into finding my benign brain tumor. First were the symptoms, then a blood test of hormones, then an MRI and boom, proper diagnosis.

He added: "We would encourage the patient to contact us should they wish to take the matter further and we will undertake a full investigation."

Please do not hesitate to contact us if you die.

A MUM-of-three has been given just weeks to live after TEN hospital doctors and her own GP missed tell-tale signs of cancer.

In our defense, she was an EXTREMELY annoying patient.

At least it wasn't Lupus.