-=> Quoting Sondra Ball to Robin Arnhold <=-
Hi, Sondra,
 SB> While I was going the route of searching for an oncologist and surgeon
 SB> and stuff during the initial stages of dealing with cancer, I did
 SB> three things to help me keep my balance in dealing with the medical
 SB> professional world.  I wrote down all questions I could think of
 SB> *before* my doctor's appointments,, and refused to leave the offices
 SB> until all were answered. I carried a notebook with me, and took notes
 SB> on everything that was said. I always took a friend or relative to the
 SB> office with me, who was less emotionally involved, to ask any
 SB> questions I might miss during the conversation, to also take notes, and
 SB> to act as my advocate if things got rough.
These are very good and sensible things to do.  I especially think it is
a real good idea to do the research you did.  Another good thing to do is
ask the pharmacist about medications the doctor has prescribed.  They
frequently know more than doctors about prescription drugs.  One thing I
always do is read the patient inserts that come with some medicines
because I tend to have abnormal reactions to medicines and they contain a
lot of other useful information.
 
 RA>I'm really glad to hear that.  She is one of the lucky ones, since it
 >seems that more often that people who had a misereable childhood find
 >that that childhood follows them around when they're adults and creates
 >all kinds of problems.
 SB> 
 SB> My friend went through all sorts of emotional difficulties in her late
 SB> teens and very early twenties, and made a number of mistakes while
 SB> trying to grow up.  
I went that road, too--a lot of people do.  Luckily, most of us sooner or
later from our mistakes and figure out that if we do things differently,
we'll likely get a different (and hopefully better) result.
 SB> But her basic decisions as a child was that she
 SB> was OK, and she was not going to live the life her mother did.  That
 SB> carried her through.
I'm glad that it did.  She is surely a better, wiser, and more
compassionate person for having overcome the difficulties presented by
her childhood environment.
Take care,
Robin
--- Blue Wave/DOS v2.20
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