[makin tracks]

Sorry, couldn't find a subject to fit this in but I really want to get the message out to as many people as possible.

This afternoon I attended a very emotional funeral of a friends husband.

He had a freckle (I know you think you know where this is going, but PLEASE humour me)
went to the Doctor who told him it was fine.

They live 3 hours from the next nearest Doctor. He went back several times worried about it and asked eventually asked over a period of 4 months to have it taken off. Was refused and told - nothing to worry about.

Six months into the piece, when said freckle kept bleeding he went in and demanded it be operated on and when the Doctor said no, refused to leave until he did something.

You can guess the rest. Yes!! Melanoma. Yes!! Malignant. Yes!! TOO LATE!!

If you KNOW that something isn't right PLEASE, PLEASE, get a second, third, fourth opinion until you are satisfied. DO NOT take no for an answer. Travel 1000kms if you have to.

You know your body and you know if something isn't how it should be. It's your life, not the doctors.


Friend's doctor is still having cosy nights with his family. Friend's husband is not.

 

[Alwaysbehind]

Sorry about the loss.

There for sure comes a time when it is our job to stick up for ourselves. I would think driving three hours to another doctor for a second opinion would be worth the time off from work to do it.

If you do not trust your medical professionals then do find one that you do trust. We (general we) are responsible for our own well being.

 

[kevinshorses]

Don't forget that the doctor works for you. If your plumber said the leaky pipe was fine you wouldn't say "okay I think I'll live with it" You would find another plumber willing to fix it. My wifes uncle had stomach problems for years and his doctor kept telling him it was ulcers or irritable bowels. He finally went to a different doctor and it turned out it was cancer and six months later he was dead.

 

[shesinthebarn]

Yes, our health care is what we make it. Always stick to your guns and don't be intimidated by doctors! I lost me Godfather when he was 41 to cancer. His family doc told him for a year that the lumps he felt were nothing to worry about. Well, they were, and he too could have been saved.
So sorry for this loss - I hope the doctor feels like an a** hole, and I hope he is being investigated!

 

[sarahver]

Unfortunately for us Aussies, Australia has the highest rate of skin cancer in the world, a little known fact. On top of this it can be difficult for an untrained eye to differentiate between a harmless spot and a malignant one, as skin cancers are often like iceburgs - you only see the top 10% on the surface of the skin.

The fact that a doctor misdiagnosed in this situation (in Australia also) is reprehensible, given the ease with which a freckle can be removed and without the risk of complications that other surgeries often present. If this doctor refused multiple requests from the patient that the freckle be removed (a simple cosmetic procedure) he could now be considered liable.

I am so sorry for your loss but I think it is a good thing to tell people this story, the cancer council (Australia) recommends that people get their freckles/moles checked out once a year but how many of us really do that? Not many.

 

[Gidji]

Skin cancer is quite devastating. So many people I know and care about have suffered from it. I'm obsessive about sun screen etc, but if I ever get burnt, I am the biggest worrier. Cancer is just a horrible thing, and I think we should be doing everything to prevent, not wait around for a cure. Regular check ups and sun protection could save many. Cancer is something that effects everyone, but together we can help stop it.

 

[sandy2u1]

I am so sorry for your loss. I think that is also a lesson in trusting your gut instinct. We all worry about stuff...sometimes things that we later realize was nothing to worry about at all. IMO, this was more than just a worry this man felt, but a nagging gut feeling. I could see a doctor chalking it off once, but when the man went back the second time he should have been taken seriously. I agree with Kevin. We pay these people for their services, not the other way around. If someone is worried about something, then a hired professional should at least hear what the person is saying and take it seriously rather than just blowing them off. I find it most disturbing that the doctor didn't even want to keep an eye on it and see if it changes or anything....just told him it was nothing...repeatedly. A doctor this day and age with that kind of attitude should loose his license to practice medicine altogether.

 

[MN Tigerstripes]

It's not like it's a big deal to get them taken off either. My dad gets spots taken off his face/head/heads almost yearly. He gets a lot of sun and forgets sunscreen so it's a pretty regular thing for him to come up with a random spot that doesn't look right. He goes in, they burn/freeze/cut it off and it's fine. Pretty sure they test them too.

If my doctor doesn't listen to me or blows me off I find a new doctor. Same thing with my vets.

I'm really sorry for your loss and your friend's as well. It's really inexcusable that someone should die when it could've been prevented by a 15 minute procedure.

 

[JumpsxGlory]

I'm sorry for your loss

It's sad when doctors refuse to treat something that is wrong because THEY think that there isn't anything wrong. If a doctor were to tell me that I would for sure be willing to drive really far to get a second opinion. We know our bodies and know when something is wrong.