The Open Threat from my Doctor

by Jeanette

Thanks for sharing your story.

During my cancer episode I had a referral to a chemo oncologist and a radiation oncologist. They both recommended treatment. I felt the need to get a second opinion on my need for chemo and was told that traditionally my kind of cancer was treated with radiation only, so I ended up opting out of the chemo. As a result, I was pressured to drop the worst of the 3 chemo drugs in my treatment plan and do just the other two. I politely refused all chemo.

The chemo oncologist later attested to the fact that he was using very aggressive treatment and didn't mention anything about putting "refused treatment against medical advice" on my medical record. Something inside me had told me not to do the chemo so I followed my "inner knowing". I felt like I got affirmation later that I chose the right path because I learned the oncologists at that cancer center got paid on commission--the more chemo they give, the more they get paid.

I continued my radiation treatment plan through 28 external treatments and 3 implants. The protocol for the external radiation was 30 treatments, and I refused to take the last two because my body was so very ravaged.

My radiation oncologist told me if I didn't finish he would put in my medical record that I refused treatment against medical advice. He never explained what that meant or the what the consequences of it could be, and I was too sick to care to ask. How much trouble am I in for having that in my record?