Blog Post
Personally I don’t think my oncologist is playing games. His research credentials are excellent and he genuinely believes that hormonal therapy (ie blocking some hormones) gives me a better chance of not having cancer again. BUT (and it’s a big but) only I can decide if the side effects are too disrupting to my life to follow that course. No treatment so far is sure fire. All are educated attempts to control a difficult and complex condition. The experiences of treatment can be downright awful. Fear, anxiety and the conviction that no-one is actually listening aren’t the basis for confidence. In that frame of mind, changing doctors if yours won’t engage in useful and informative discussion, can be just too hard. But inch by inch we are getting better at treating cancer (in terms of survival). Medical practice is already having to adjust to vocal patients who don’t just want to accept what they are told, but be provided with information, statistics and research. And yes, a lot of them are older women! I can accept being an early adapter, if that helps work out how cancer works. Best wishes.