How about a thread praising the really good doctors we have had?

Imagine that...two individuals hijack a thread, to push a personal agenda or patronize other members for personal reasons and distract from the point. Neither have added a single thing to what could be a very beneficial and supportive thread... Disappointing to say the least... and yet, I'll probably be the one the moderators slap on the wrist.... Sigh...time for frick and frack to go on ignore again and back to lurking in the shadows, avoiding the negative crap they stir up consistently

NKinney:

The Stockholm Syndrome refers to hostages who over time look at their captors as saviors, and revere them.
It seems to me your comparison to PC survivors is way over the top. Why you always seek to come up with these emotional (hysterical?) posts is beyond me.

There is one aspect of your diatribe that I have often thought about. You have a PC patient who claims his surgeon cured him. But then you read further and find that he had a small % of G6 in a few cores. So, yes, in retrospect, of course he was "cured" and the surgeon is a hero. BUT, contrast this to the poor fellow who ends up being upgraded (30% of the time, I think) to say a G4+3. He had a G6 biopsy, but it was much worse. This patient is then undetectable for many years. In THIS case, his surgeon is a hero.

There are no absolutes in this disease. Folks have their own individual concerns/expectations. We ALL roll the dice with our choices. Why you keep hammering at the same thing is beyond me. You might as well get a rubber stamp and post the same diatribe.

I've mentioned it before and maybe it bears repeating. When I was a young professional, so sure of myself in every way, a wise veteran colleague pulled me aside. He agreed with my points, but his suggestion was:
"Caress an idea; do not strangle it."
That motto has served me well throughout my life.
You might want to think about that.

Mel

Guys, please take the rhetoric down a notch. Disagree without being disagreeable.

Thank you.

Jim

I have nothing bad to say about what my surgeon did. He was an early pioneer in RAPL with thousands of procedures at the time I saw him, which was why I picked him. I have largely recovered, although I have lingering ED which is successfully addressed by tadalafil tabs.

So, certainly no "errors of commission;" that is, I'm ok with what he did.

However, as I've grown to be quite knowledgeable about prostate cancer, his was an "error of omission." That is, it's not what he did or told me, rather it is what he did not tell me. I had expert pathology verified favorable-risk PC. I should have been assisted in understanding what I know now...active surveillance as a first step. No benefit to surgery.


Certainly, I would hold my doctor accountable for errors of commission. Do you think it's fair and appropriate to hold him accountable for errors of omission?

I fully agree with Prat. If we want to have the other discussion on another thread (that could hopefully remain civil), that's very valid. But 81 asked us for positive experiences with doctors and it would be nice to keep this thread on target--from both a housekeeping and civility perspective.

compiler said...
Jackh:

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Certainly, I would hold my doctor accountable for errors of commission. Do you think it's fair and appropriate to hold him accountable for errors of omission?
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
That's an excellent general question. I think we should hold doctors responsible for gross errors of omission.

But the devil is in the details. What about the urologist who pushes surgery and omits (or barely mentions) radiation? That seems to occur a lot. But, that is what they do. That is not atypical. Are you going to sue these folks?

You can argue that the patient bears some responsibility for not seeking out more information. But, then, most patients are in shock and most patients figure their doctors are knowledgeable and would not steer them wrong.

Good question. But, like PC, no simple answers.

Mel

Thanks for the comment, Mel. My apologies for taking a swipe at you w.r.t. anger meds. As usual, Tudpock brings the board back to where we should be...good job, Tud.

I do also think—as you said here—that the devil is in the details; but I also believe that just because it's complicated it shouldn't be ignored. I think that a lot of guys never realize what got omitted. I'd give a glowing "recommendation" of my surgeon if I didn't realize what he omitted, and I might not have realized it had I not gone on to become a well-informed PC advocate.

The fact is that over the ensuing years I HAVE recommended several men to see my surgeon as an excellent option for treatment...but I only did that AFTER talking at some length about their individual case and realizing that treatment would indeed be important and probably beneficial for them. Other men I've encountered with lower risk cases, I have NOT recommended that they see my surgeon. They need a urologist who is experienced in handling a decent % of AS cases.

A "recommendation" for services depend on what services are needed.

For me, the biggest issue that makes a doctor good, and even great, is whether they're willing to admit that they don't know it all. Call it humility, or honesty, or both. If the doctor is willing to admit that there might be someone out there who knows more than they do...if he/she is willing to listen to a request for a second opinion or be involved in a collaborative discussion...then I'll respect them a lot more.

Knowing what they don't know is a rare....but highly valuable trait. If the Urologist says, "I don't know a lot about what the radiation guys are doing, so why don't you talk to them...here's a name and number to call..." then that one is a step up.

I want my doctor confident in his diagnosis and his treatment plan, but I don't want him bullheaded and unwilling to listen.

Halbert - I had a good day with my PCP like that a couple of years ago. She and I were discussing some of the bowel issues I was having and at one point she said, "Can you give me a few minutes? I'd like to call over to the GI department and see if there is a doctor over there who could answer that."

Love doctors like that.

Andrew