This situation drives me nuts. Why do doctors insist on rushing headlong into treatments when a little time allows for more education and fewer errors?

I asked J's MO if there was time to get a second opinion and he said we had about 2 weeks to get one. J didn't have the 2nd opinion consultations because they conflicted with the oral surgery appt. and then the doc at the CCC was called away. The RO was pushing hard for radiation to start and teeth needed to come out prior to rads. We asked the MO if he had complete trust in the pathologist's DX and he said yes. So, we went forward. We found out two weeks into treatment that he doesn't have cancer. J went from having cancer to not having cancer to now having an increased lifetime risk of cancer because he's had radiation TX. In addition, he's had major surgery, oral surgery, and targeted immunotherapy (Erbitux) because the pathologist was not up on the latest SCC HN information and misdiagnosed a benign condition. I found tons of information and studies on this very DX factor the same day we got the 2nd opinion path report. There was no excuse for the pathologist to be oblivious.

J's situation pales in comparison to what happened to John. I can forgive honest mistakes. But, professional lack of awareness and ineptitude is unconscionable when there is plenty of information out there about this stuff. If a patient or patient's caregiver can find and understand information written in layman's terms about a disease or medication just by looking it up on the web, there is no logical reason for a doctor or any other medical professional to be ignorant. Actually, it would be stupidity, not ignorance.

J has been complaining of chest pains for about a month (which means he's probably had them a lot longer.) He's seeing his GP next week. (Remember, this is the same man who waited 9 months to get the lymph node addressed.) I'm in my happy place about the GP appt.--nothing more I can say or do. I'm hoping he gets a referral to a dermatologist for his Erbitux rash, too. Nope, he hasn't taken care of that one yet, either. My happy place is going to be a padded room if things don't change soon.

I'm sorry if I've gone tangential on everyone. But, damn. I am bone-tired of all this nonsense with stupid mistakes. It is all so unnecessary.