There is a person who is close to us who has breast cancer. The patient does not care about reconstructive surgery, but the doctor does. The patient and doctor have known about this cancer since November, and they still don’t have a date for surgery. There is another man that I know who has had a cancer that has been identified for 5 months. It is a very rare tumor and he properly wanted very expert management. He still has not had the definitive surgery! My understanding of both of these cases is that the tumors are malignant. That means that cells from the tumor can break of and flow through the blood and lymph fluid to other parts of the body.
Here is the terrible problem with these delays. Malignant cancers are like dandelions. Your only chance to have a lawn free of dandelions is to pull them out when they are yellow and before they develop seeds as in the picture above. If you wait until that dry seed cluster forms as in the picture below and the wind blows those seeds around , you will have a lawn full of dandelions. It is the same with cancer. As long as the tumor is in one place, a cure is possible. Once cells break off from the tumor and spread through the body, cure for most malignant tumors is no longer possible. That is the key. Get the tumor out before malignant seeds break off.
That makes these delays horrible. Every day of delay makes it more likely that the malignant seeds of the cancer spread to other organs and cure is no longer possible. That is the critical issue. Patients with malignant tumors must jump to the head of the priority list. Get the tumor out! Pull up the dandelion! Give yourself the best chance of a cure. If a doctor tells you that you have a malignant tumor, press hard to have your procedure as soon as possible. Don’t be passive. It is your life on the line.
This is a great example of care that is arranged around the needs of clinicians and institutions. Patients with malignant tumors need their cancers removed right away. The examples from the beginning prove that is not happening. Everyone talks about patient centered care, but it is very rare. The best people in medicine pointed to this major problem in our system decades ago. That is why setting patient-centered priorities in healthcare is so essential. That is why healthcare that is owned by the consumer is so much better.
The Southcentral Foundation system in Alaska is owned by Native Alaskans. The worksite clinic at the Coushatta Casino Resort is owned by the Coushatta tribe in Louisiana. Germans receive their healthcare through their employers like we do. Their health insurance companies are run by elected representatives from both employees and the employers. Better care is less expensive care. It is much less expensive to get the cancer out in a timely manner and cure the patient, that it is to delay definitive care and deal with cancer that has spread. The SouthCentral Foundation, the Coushatta worksite clinic, and the country of Germany all provide healthcare for half of the cost you pay and their quality score are very high. We work with the Coushatta worksite clinic and their patients are in the hospital half as often and in the ER one third as often. You don’t need those services as often if your cancer is cured. We can all have a better health system. Let’s get started!
Patients get into Operating Room by office staff working the schedule. The consultant surgeon owns the priority. Leaving the responsibility of prioritizing surgery to your office staff is a mistake on many levels. A good relationship between the 2 physicians in the relationship is critical.
In the meantime, during the wait, I suggest taking ivermectin and fenbenzadole - lots of anecdotal evidence. (I believe 2nd smartest guy in the world is a good source of info.) A friend (smoker) diagnosed with lung cancer several months ago - surgery to be scheduled "soon" - is taking both. Her symptoms - like massive kleenex use (down from over a box a day to 2 kleenex a day) and coughing - have disappeared. She is asking for another scan before the surgery. I am not saying, don't go with a conventional approach. I am saying: explore alternative treatments, especially if you are facing a considerable wait.