Ann Thorsen, are you there?

If you had a reputable surgeon (two, actually) and they were scheduling
you....would you still seek second/third opinions even though you felt the
course seemed fairly clear and you like/trust the first surgeon (haven't met
the plastics one yet)....the amount of information is staggering, the weight
of the decisions overwhelming, and I don't even have (to my knowledge)
immediately life-threatening problems....

"fortunata" <pacifist@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:B8ySh.272865$5j1.123308@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> If you had a reputable surgeon (two, actually) and they were scheduling
> you....would you still seek second/third opinions even though you felt the
> course seemed fairly clear and you like/trust the first surgeon (haven't
> met the plastics one yet)....the amount of information is staggering, the
> weight of the decisions overwhelming, and I don't even have (to my
> knowledge) immediately life-threatening problems....
>

Yup, I'm here. But I'm no expert on this kind of stuff . . . partly, it's a
matter of how you personally want to make decisions and what you feel
comfortable with. Don't let me or anyone else pressure you.

I didn't seek a second opinion surgically, My BC was locally advanced. I
wanted to move quickly. I trusted my surgeon (had heard strong endorsements
of him from other medical professionals, and he had been one of the surgeons
involved when my husband had esophageal cancer, so I knew his personal
style). I wanted a mastectomy *for 100% certain sure*. I wasn't
interested in reconstruction.

After the surgery, I went to a "multi disciplinary breast clinic" session.
(Many/most women go before surgery.) They're available through a couple of
different cancer centers in my mid-sized city. It's a nearly full-day
session. It starts with some education about breast cancer and its
treatments. Then you see a surgeon, a medical oncologist (the chemo guys),
and a radiation oncologist. They confer over lunch, and in the afternoon
one of them meets with you to review a cross-disciplinary treatment
recommendation. It's like a real-time multiple-opinion opportunity. I
also met with a medical social worker who informed me about support services
available locally, and with abreast cancer survivor volunteer who answered
any questions I had of a more experiential nature. My sister-in-law went
with me to be another set of ears, since there's so much to take in.

I encourage anyone with BC to check their area to see if there's an
opportunity like this. It was excellent.

Ann T.
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