MALPRACTICE
My wife, Alice, said the sore on my nose wasn’t healing, so I went to the dermatologist. He said, “I’m pretty sure this is cancer. Basel cell carcinoma. If it’s benign, we won’t call you back.”
Three weeks passed. No call back. Good. Nevertheless, I told Alice, “Maybe I should call the doctor. He said he was pretty sure it was cancerous.”
I called. The skin doctor’s receptionist put me on hold for five minutes. Then a nurse said, “We’re waiting for a fax.” I waited a long time.
The doctor got on the line: “I have to apologize. We are using a new lab, and they failed to send a report to us. I take the blame. I should have followed up. It’s basil cell carcinoma, just like I expected.”
Skin cancer. I hate that — when you beg for a diagnosis and get a bad one. Suddenly my world revolved around appointments and follow-ups. I went to a specialist who did Mohs surgery — deep-dish nose drilling.
What if I hadn’t called the dermatologist? Nobody nose.
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I wrote an op-ed about baby-naming for the WSJ last week. “Who’ll Win the Baby Name Game.”
5 comments
Its getting worse; the ability of providers to respond/follow up in a timely manner per my experience as an “alter kocher” with an impressive array of medical “issues”. I see no game changer that will either arrest or reverse the trend. Be prepared
I had a bump on my cheek the dermatologist thought might well be cancerous. “We may have to cut deep to get it out,” he said. I imagined a gaping hole where the bump used to be. Then the biopsy came back: Benign. One bullet dodged, more sure to follow. Stay well!
This type of experience is all too familiar….
Glad things went well with you; as far as I’m concerned the doctor worth listening to is the pone with the last name of
Doc (R IP)
Mohs shows you played outside as a kid…swimming, baseball, stickball and tennis. Not bowling or pool. I’d prefer ribbons or trophies.
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