Rita...I have emailed you, so I won't repeat that advice here, except to say that I continue to be amazed.....and disappointed...by the lack of concern/thoroughness/professionalism in some of our medical and dental professionals. I am a physician's wife, so I am the first to defend the medical profession and through this forum I see that many dentists deserve praise as well. But from my own experience, and from those of some of our friends on this forum, the doctors and dentists are often not taking care of each patient's needs as they should.

I will use Rita as an example. There are many others, at least in patients with maxillectomies. That is the only area in which I have any experience. Why, oh why would the dr. and his recommended prosthodontist not make adjustments to the obturator to cover the opening in Rita's mouth??? If the surgery was more involved than the prosthodontist anticipated, then adjustments can be made without too much trouble. Or explanations should be given as to why those adjustments can't be made. One doesn't just send the patient along their way, leaving them to discover problems on their own and to guess at solutions.

Every surgery for this terrible disease has its own problems, and they are all difficult. BUT these professionals accepted the responsibility for our treatment, so now, darn it, do your job. Don't leave a patient with an uncovered opening without explanation! If you don't want to take the time time to talk, then hire someone to do the job of discussing this with patients, and to explain things and answer questions and to be the ombudsman.....a patient advocate....a link between the doctor and the patient.

Each surgery has its own problems. In a maxillectomy, the patient is left with a very mysterious hole in the roof of his/her mouth that makes both speaking and eating/drinking difficult. I continually hear that the patients (including myself) are not given enough information about how to anticipate this, or how to handle it..

An ob-gyn once told me that the only way he could give each patient the attention she deserved was to remind himself with each one that, though it might be his 1000th baby, it was her first one (or second....etc.....but you get the point.) EACH patient has perhaps the same questions as the one before, but it is all new to ThAT patient, and he/she deserves all of the information possible. I think that they sometimes forget that.

Enough ranting....but it hit a nerve, going back to my own treatment.

Xo--Colleen