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while the medicine seems competent my confidence has been shaken in the Doctors as two of them and three nurses are talking magic not science early on in the discussion.
I am seeking competent scientific medicine, I want competent, confident, scientists-doctors who tell the truth with empathy.
I understand that some may need this religious position, but I am not bringing it up. I do no tlike the high ground occupied by religion in hospitals.
The project is how to help doctors develop rapport, convey warmth, exude realistic, honest, competence. Too often the scientist seems to be viewed as cold, uncaring, even cruel, this is not so.
while the medicine seems competent my confidence has been shaken in the Doctors as two of them and three nurses are talking magic not science early on in the discussion.
I am seeking competent scientific medicine, I want competent, confident, scientists-doctors who tell the truth with empathy.
I understand that some may need this religious position, but I am not bringing it up. I do no tlike the high ground occupied by religion in hospitals.
The project is how to help doctors develop rapport, convey warmth, exude realistic, honest, competence. Too often the scientist seems to be viewed as cold, uncaring, even cruel, this is not so.
Zk,
My deepest sympathy. That is their problem and/or effort to seek reassurance, not your problem; except that you have been afflicted with it. Chances are, at least as you have described it, your medical condition is grave, maybe lethal. Suggest you seek a second medical opinion, but no competent medical person would, on the basis of your post, offer one.
The real dangers you face are misdiagnosis, unneeded treatment (radiation and chemo) to avoid lawsuits in the future, and untalented medical “professionals”.
My wife had breast cancer. On the first day she was diagnosed, she was sent to an ugly fat-ass doctor who showed her pictures of wigs, because she was going to definitely need chemo and lose her hair…the first day.
During our four-year ordeal, I had to do constant research, which included European studies, and do constant questioning of the litany of medical “professionals” who were paraded before us.
In the end, my wife received unneeded radiation treatments that turn here chest to leather. It took many extra surgeries to remove this bad tissue and give her a healthy chest.
She didn’t get chemo, because her lymph nodes were not involved so therefore it was unnecessary. We had to prod our surgeon (Blake Cady, the leading surgeon at the time, who was at the fore-front of a procedure called a “sentinel node biopsy”) to go against his board and admit that chemo was a poisonous and problematic procedure that was unnecessary in my wife’s case.
My wife even had a “new cancer” show up years later, had her breast totally removed, and then was told no cancer was found in this breast after it was cut off. The needle biopsy had somehow miraculously gotten all the cancer. And, we were told, pathology is more of an “art form” than a science, so maybe (this was only alluded to) the microscopic “mass” wasn’t cancerous after all.
So, your fears about religion are misplaced.
Fear worldly men and women who cover their asses at all costs and have tunnel-vision science.
Sorry about your mass, but now is the time to be a true skeptic, not just a religion-bashing skeptic. Those religious medical “professionals” are more likely to be truthful to you, and therefore give you the best possible treatment.
My wife is cancer-free and doesn’t have the fear of what chemo did to her in the long run looming over her head.
while the medicine seems competent my confidence has been shaken in the Doctors as two of them and three nurses are talking magic not science early on in the discussion.
Sorry to hear your not well.
I’m surprised that medical professionals would speak this way to you, usually nursing staff will confirm any religious, dietary or cultural preference with you at a very early stage, so as not to offend you or anyone else with inappropriate care.
Despite this experience, I am sure that any personal belief or lack thereof of medical staff, would not affect the type or quality of care you receive, they will still consider then offer the best medical and or surgical opinion for your recovery.
I work in the legal department of a hospital. While there is certainly no mandate to broach the subject of faith in this hospital, the fact is that most people in the south, even those in the medical profession, are believers. When a patient is facing a grave condition, as you unfortunately are, it is natural for them to bring up the subject of faith. All you need to do to shut the conversation down is to tell them that you don’t want to go there. They care for you (that’s why most of them are in the field), and they want to offer you what they think they have available to give. If you are not in the market for something they offer, just tell them so and that should do it. I don’t think the fact that they are believers is going to affect the quality of medical care they are capable of giving. That’s just my opinion, of course, since I don’t know your providers.
Hi, ZKWest. I’m sorry to hear about your problem and I hope it works out for you. In your shoes I would be doing the same as you - focussing on the science. If doctors started bringing up god I’d ignore it and immediately direct the discussion back to the problem and the medical treatments available. If they have any people skills at all they should soon get the message and get back on track.
If you wanted god nonsense you’d go see a priest or preacher, right? You are paying for medical advice and that’s what they should be giving you.
I work in the legal department of a hospital. While there is certainly no mandate to broach the subject of faith in this hospital, the fact is that most people in the south, even those in the medical profession, are believers. When a patient is facing a grave condition, as you unfortunately are, it is natural for them to bring up the subject of faith. All you need to do to shut the conversation down is to tell them that you don’t want to go there. They care for you (that’s why most of them are in the field), and they want to offer you what they think they have available to give. If you are not in the market for something they offer, just tell them so and that should do it.
(Andrew): I agree with this. No sense in them spinning their wheels on faith once they know that you’re not a believer…but you need to tell them.
If someone tries to save you nonetheless, it’s time to call the hospital administrator and lodge a complaint.
while the medicine seems competent my confidence has been shaken in the Doctors as two of them and three nurses are talking magic not science early on in the discussion.
I am seeking competent scientific medicine, I want competent, confident, scientists-doctors who tell the truth with empathy.
I understand that some may need this religious position, but I am not bringing it up. I do no tlike the high ground occupied by religion in hospitals.
The project is how to help doctors develop rapport, convey warmth, exude realistic, honest, competence. Too often the scientist seems to be viewed as cold, uncaring, even cruel, this is not so.
Sorry to hear about the the mass. My deepest sympathy for you. As for your issue, if you continue to feel uncomfortable, lodge a complaint. There is no reason to complicate an already disparaging experience when a simple conversation or complaint may cure it.
Now brace yourself for a phenominal joke:
An Italian guy, a Brazilian guy, and a Korean guy are shipwrecked on an island. They decide they need to divide up tasks in order to be efficient. The Italian guy is in charge of building a shelter, the Brazilian is to find water, and the Korean is in charge of supplies. So they go about their work, and after a couple hours the Italian and Brazilian have accomplished their tasks and are waiting at their camp for the Korean, who hasn’t turned up. They figure he’s lost, so they go looking for him. After a couple minutes of following a trail to see if they can find him, the Korean guy jumps out from behind a bush into the path in front of them and shouts, “SUPPLIES!!”
If you are dealing with a life-threatening and depressing situation, it wouldn’t be surprising if “God-talk” annoys you. When my father-in-law was very ill, he said he was filled with loathing for perfectly healthy people his age who were stupid or obnoxious. He kept thinking….“This shithead gets to live, yet I may die….”
I’m not sure how to cope with all the emotions that emerge when you are in a depressing or frightening situation, other than to keep your mind focused on the decisions that have to be made and, for awhile at least, compartmentalize your emotions and deal with them later. I suppose, if the mass is malignant, you will have to spend a lot of time on the Internet, researching the various options. Find out which are the best hospitals and who are the best doctors.
As I write, my heart is aching because I remember all the people I have loved who were in a similar position to yours. EVERYTHING changes completely when you have a possible cancer diagnosis. Many of these people are still alive.
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune—without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I’ve heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
zkwest - Sorry to hear that. I recently joined this site and I happened to notice this thread. It looks like these posts are from a while ago so hopefully the mass turned out to be nothing. If not though, I’m not sure if you’ve done any research on pharmacological doses of intravenous vitamin C. I’ve read a couple of studies on it and the results are quite encouraging. I’m not a doctor and would by no means advocate it as an alternative to standard treatment, but as a supplemental course of action it is definitely worth considering. I have a couple of .pdf docs I can send you that go over it. They’re pretty high level and fairly accessible. If you’re interested, by all means either PM me or respond on this thread and I’ll be happy to pass them on to you.
Took me a second or two to ‘get it’ but then I had a bit of a chuckle.
