1 Recommendation
I would like to know if there are any doctors on this site, that would be willing to give some input and or suggestions about different subjects?
Already a member? Sign in
Welcome to Inspire!
What - Inspire is a place where you can connect with people who share your health concerns and find information and advice in groups sponsored by organizations you know and trust.
Why - As a member you can use Inspire to let friends and family know how you're doing, contact others who share your health concerns, receive personalized updates and information about participating in surveys and clinical trials, and more.
How - Joining Inspire is completely free and usually takes less than a minute. Join now!
ANY DOCTORS OUT THERE
- By stage1
- Posted October 8, 2009 at 11:18 pm · 13 replies
- In Non-small cell lung cancer - Stage I
- Shared with the public
Explore topics in this discussion:
13 replies
- Oldest first
- Newest first
- By cuddles53
- Posted October 8, 2009 at 11:24 pm
- Report post
We need our own doctor on this site.
Sandy
- By mitziger
- Posted October 8, 2009 at 11:35 pm
- Report post
You can write to Dr West at cancergrace.org I think it is. He is very good at answering questions and sometimes writes on here. Hope this helps you Mitziger
- By bayrealtor
- Posted October 9, 2009 at 2:59 am
- Report post
yes, dr. west is the best....always answers questions and comes here from time to time. find him at cancer grace.
Bill
- By AliceL
- Posted October 9, 2009 at 1:03 pm
- Report post
I have only posted a question on cancer grace once, on the weekend. Sure didn't expect an answer until the following week -- but I got one from Dr. West during the weekend. He is obviously a very special and dedicated doctor.
- By scared1
- Posted October 9, 2009 at 1:09 pm
- Report post
Here you go...this may be just what you are looking for!
http://cancergrace.org/lung/
Thanks Dr. West!
- By DrWest
- Posted October 9, 2009 at 2:11 pm
- Report post
Thank you all for your kind words. I don't make it here very often, primarily because of the basic problem of there not being enough time in the day, but also because I sometimes feel that I'm crashing the event -- this is a site primarily for patients and caregivers, and if people want to vent, I don't want to inhibit that.
The other consideration is that I find that here there is such a range of what people are looking for: while some are looking for evidence and the medical perspective on lung cancer, others are looking more for alternative therapies, which isn't my focus, and there are times when this can lead to antagonism between the medical perspective and another that may feel that oncologists are more motivated by profits than trying to treat patients as well as we possibly can, and/or that physicians are just too conservative. I don't mean to imply that there is one right way to do things, but if people want to get what I and my colleagues consider to be balanced, credible information, we want to offer that at the GRACE site.
The GRACE website is essentially divided into two parts; one is written by the faculty as blog-type posts (such as www.cancergrace.org/lung for the lung cancer section) and generally covers new information coming out in the field, while the other is a discussion forum (www.cancergrace.org/forums) where people can ask general questions about cancer issues (we can't tell give medical information and tell a particular person who isn't our patient what to do -- a legal no-no). There's a place to start a new discussion thread (check the FAQ from the home page if you can't see it), but we're working on making it far more intuitive to find how to ask a new question and find old information. The website is now cursed by having so much content that it can be difficult to wade through. We're working on making it more accessible, particularly for people new to the site.
-Dr. West
- By stage1
- Posted October 9, 2009 at 2:30 pm
- Report post
Thank you Dr West for replying. I have many questions that I sometime forget to ask when I am at my oncologist office. However, there are questions I have that seem to be avoided when I ask. One in particular is about the H1N1 vaccine. I know this vaccine is new and "to each his own" but I am stunned by the fact that not one doctor will tell me to get the vaccine. They tell me "yes" get the pneumonia shot and the regular flu shot... but "skate"around the H1N1 shot almost to the point of just changing the subject.... At this point I don't know what to do. I know you can't tell me to get it, but I would like to know why some doctors say yes and others say no... What do we not know about this shot? Is there any light you can shed on this subject?
- By DrWest
- Posted October 9, 2009 at 2:38 pm
- Report post
I'm afraid that I can't help much here, except to say that the reason you're getting mixed signals, or at least not much of a push, is that there just isn't much information for the docs either. The vaccine is still in development, and it's an intervention for a disease that we really don't know very much about, at least in terms of the interaction with cancer or chemo. There isn't any official declaration of what cancer patients should do, so docs are pretty much just left on their own to make up an answer when the answers just don't exist. This is still an untested vaccine for a problem that we're still learning about in real time.
-Dr. West
- By stage1
- Posted October 9, 2009 at 2:44 pm
- Report post
Thanks to everyone who responded to this post. Before I could check out his web site, he replied to my post. How nice of him to do that. I just wish I could "pick his brain" lol.... I have so many questions and so little time when I am with my doctors, I feel there is not enough time in the day....I am very funny that way. I always want to know why, how, and why not.... Maybe he will respond to my question.
God Bless to all
- By stage1
- Posted October 9, 2009 at 2:51 pm
- Report post
Dr. West.....Thank you so much. I appreciate your reply. I guess I will just wait on this one. I really am to afraid to get this shot. My PCP did tell me that he "was not" going to get the vaccine. My oncologist and pulmonologist did not say whether they were or not, but did say that "you probably will not need it"... Im not sure how to take that... Thank you again.
Reply
- By scared1
- Posted October 9, 2009 at 4:05 pm
- Report post
Dr. West is truely the best. Take advantage of the knowledge he offers and in kind (only if you are able) offer your support in the form of donations to his site. Thats how he can keep things going and hire on new docs etc. to answer our questions. I can't tell you how appreciative I am to him and his staff for answering all the panicked questions that entered my head at all times of the day and nite! I also follow him on twitter!
As always...THANKS DR. WEST!!!!
- By stage1
- Posted October 9, 2009 at 6:45 pm
- Report post
Scared1,,, you are right. He seems like a very kind heart. I appreciate the fact that he took the time to answer me. He is faster than my doctors when I call and have a question....
God Bless
Add to the discussion