Something happened today that made me think that maybe it was a good time for a reminder as far as test results from a doctor's office. My DIL got a call from her mother, saying that a nurse from her mother's (DIL's gr'mother) urologist's office had called her. I don't know exactly why the nurse had been going through some charts, but she had come across the gr'mother's chart and at the bottom of a report on an ultrasound that the gr'mother had had 6 MONTHS AGO, of her abdominal area and kidneys, was written "renal cell carcinoma- patient needs MRI immediately".....The doctor had supposedly told her that nothing was wrong with her and nobody had ever called her from that office to tell her this! So here it is 6 mos. later and they're just now finding this out....BTW, when she first went in to see this dr. after having some kidney problems for quite awhile, he did nothing but a dip-test and told her that there was nothing wrong with her and that she probably drank too much! She doesn't drink at all! HELLO?! So, people please, if you don't get a call from your dr.'s office about tests you've had done, CALL THEM YOURSELF just to make sure! I always do this- you never know what can slip through the cracks....

This is such a sad but too often read about problem and why we need to be aggressive on our medical care.

My father had the same thing happen with a test that would have avoided his death from colon cancer. No one told him the test needed to be followup, and sat in the chart. nearly a year or more later the cancer spread to the liver, lungs, back bone, and then into the brain.

Colon cancer has a high cure rate.

It is a terrible thing, but I am glad the nurse did call now.
My prayers for her health go with your family.
Dianne

Thanks DiMarie,
Cases like this show that we all have to be our own medical advocate and never assume that just because we didn't get a call from the dr.'s office, that everything is OK. This is a terrible way to find that out though....

What you really have to be careful of too is that many times someone from the doctors office will call you with results and have no idea what to tell you to do next concerning the results.

Peggy

That is a major mistake, as most people know that once CA is DX'ed agressive therapy should be started ASAP, instead of now having to play catch up for their oversight!!

My best goes out and does GOOBER SAYS THE SAME THING... I know as Goober grows something should have been done much earlier, but WC is still fighting me, I will have to use my private ins. (that cost a mint every month)which by the grace of GOD is accepted by both Dr Sanders and the hospital, sure once things are taken care of BC will battle WC to recoup every cent.. is not health care woes a lovely thing... I know I am still waiting for a check from them as I have not had a check since 10/10 of last year... they offered me 25,000 to get off their back and act like nothing happened... well I need the ins as well as the money to at least to get caught up on the ever rising daily expenses