I don't have much knowledge about this, but it has always been my position that the best thing to do is to write down what the doctor thinks. Please have your friend call the doctor's office and request that the doctor call her back. Have her get all the info written down and spelled correctly. He should be patient enough to do this, or it may be time for her to rethink their doctor/patient relationship. That said, it's your friend's responsibility to write down the questions she wants to ask and have them ready for the doctor's call. This may range from: What did you see on the films? What is the diagnosis (or what might the possibilities be)? Is this benign or a malignancy? What do we need to do to determine the diagnosis? How soon can we do this? Does this involve surgery? If it involves surgery, what are the risks and what is the recovery time?
Do you get the idea? It always helps to be prepared when you see a doctor, but it seems your friend was blindsided by something totally unexpected. She was probably so shocked that she didn't know what to ask. The uncertainty is debilitating, and the stress can make you feel worse. It seems that everything is being done very quickly, and that's the ideal way that our medical system works when critical questions need answering.
You're going to be a great help to your friend by helping her research the situation, but you cannot do that unless you know the words to look up. Don't second guess; get it straight from the doctor's mouth.
I hope all goes well.
wr
__________________ - 12/29/89 C5-6 Microdiskectomy (no fusion)
- 4/9/03 ACDF C4-7 with plating and donor bone
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