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Doctor situation: Need opinions

 
   
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David B

Apr 16, 12 8:48

Post #1 of 6 (500 views)
Doctor situation: Need opinions Quote | Reply
For the last three months my wife has been dealing with a couple of enlarged lymph nodes in her neck (among a couple of other things with her thyroid and liver). There are other symptoms but this is the most alarming one. After blood tests and an ultrasound back at the beginning the doctor told us that the nodes weren't significant because they measured 6mm and 7mm according to the ultrasound. Anything over 10mm is supposed to be prioritized for a biopsy right away.

Since she isn't improving or even on the way to a diagnosis after a CT showed nothing abnormal beyond the enlargement we already knew about she is getting sent to a specialist for a biopsy consult, which we have to wait a few weeks for. We recently got her records from the doctor in order to give a copy to another practitioner and the original ultrasound from three months ago didn't say 6 and 7mm - it said 16 and 17mm. Which is a huge difference and should have sent her for a biopsy immediately. We're a little alarmed that this mistake was made when it was right there on the sheet of paper, and we also know that if we are dealing with something like lymphoma (which all of this is unfortunately pointing towards) that time is really critical and a couple of months can make a big difference in treatment and recovery.

We're in Canada so can't just switch doctors at will because none take new patients up here, but we're pretty upset and are considering possibly reporting her to the medical board up here and if after another ultrasound (which we asked for immediately) things are worse then we're considering if we have grounds for legal action. I guess my question is do you think we're freaking out over nothing and what would you do in this situation?


jonahsdad

Apr 16, 12 9:04

Post #2 of 6 (481 views)
Re: Doctor situation: Need opinions [David B] [In reply to] Quote | Reply
I don't know if this is your situation, but I often refer to lymph nodes by their shortest measurement because this is the one that matters for the 10 mm cutoff that is used to suggest biopsy. Possibly your wife's lymph nodes measure something like 6x16mm. Either way, that is probably big enough to warrant biopsy, especialy if they have been there for a few months.


........

Apr 16, 12 9:59

Post #3 of 6 (418 views)
Re: Doctor situation: Need opinions [David B] [In reply to] Quote | Reply
Depending on location and patient's age, up to 2cm is actually common in lymph node size. However, it seems that in your wife's case, it's grown.
Nevertheless, if it not necessarily lymphoma. Numerous things can trigger cervical lymph node enlargement, like RA, mononucleose, a variety of
infections (a blood test would suggest an infection though). Either way, a biopsy should be offered, if only for peace of mind.


DawnT

Apr 16, 12 10:51

Post #4 of 6 (390 views)
Re: Doctor situation: Need opinions [David B] [In reply to] Quote | Reply
I would call your doctor's office to get clarification. As Canadians, we are always hesitant to be that annoying patient, but you have to speak up and stand up for yourself when it comes to your health. Call your doctor back and have them explain the discrepancy in what he/she told you and what the test results show.


Brick

Apr 16, 12 11:05

Post #5 of 6 (372 views)
Re: Doctor situation: Need opinions [David B] [In reply to] Quote | Reply
I don't know what the time limitations in Canada are regarding legal action but I would focus all of my efforts on getting the right diagnosis and treatment.

I can't imagine not being able to get a second opinion right away or having to wait weeks for a consult when cancer could be in the offing. It must be horrible. Focus on getting the right treatment/diagnosis first.


David B

Apr 16, 12 15:58

Post #6 of 6 (298 views)
Re: Doctor situation: Need opinions [Brick] [In reply to] Quote | Reply
Brick wrote:
I don't know what the time limitations in Canada are regarding legal action but I would focus all of my efforts on getting the right diagnosis and treatment.

I can't imagine not being able to get a second opinion right away or having to wait weeks for a consult when cancer could be in the offing. It must be horrible. Focus on getting the right treatment/diagnosis first.

We are considering paying for a treatment team available to us in Toronto (5 hour drive) but it's expensive for us to do so. We have already ruled out almost everything like RA, etc - except the big C - which is the hardest part. Just waiting is the worst. Believe it or not, getting her into the specialist for a biopsy consult in a month was a miracle in itself. Her doctor is basically doing the equivalent of throwing darts at a board and seeing if anything comes up, but this type of screwup really made us see red.

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